Pokemon: Seven Stories
by Fakemon Master KC
Summary: Join Ash and Pikachu as they journey through seven different regions, meeting new friends, discovering new Pokemon, and having amazing adventures along the way! From Zooks to Dangohn, from Aztexo to Stokell, and from my brain to your screen, enjoy all seven stories packed in this fic right here as the journey continues!
1. Chapter 1

_**Introduction And What To Expect**_

Hey, y'all! Fakemon Master KC here! Okay, I'm gonna be straight with you guys. This is going to be a reeeeeeeeaaaaaally long fic. I'm packing seven different stories from seven different Fakemon regions I created in here, each with new characters for Ash and Pikachu to befriend and for Team Rocket to oppose in new and interesting ways. I'll lay out the details of all seven regions right here so that you can see if any of them interest you. Once I'm done writing each the individual stories, I'll add what chapter number each region's journey starts at so you can skip ahead to any that sound interesting. The seven regions are…

1\. Zooks- Based on the Pacific Northwest. This region is packed with extremely odd Pokemon reminiscent of American cryptids. Ash's travelling companions are Luna, a curious girl who can sense Pokemon's emotions, Luna's Clefairy, and Brian, a librarian who wants to learn all he can about this region's strange Pokemon. This region's adventure starts at the chapter right after this one

2\. Klovar- Based on Ireland. This region is known for its legends regarding fairies and other magical beings, and I'm not just talking about Fairy type Pokemon. Ash's travelling companions for this region are Will, a tough boy from Johto with a lot to prove to his grandfather, Will's Heracross, and Sheena, a creepy old woman who claims to have magical powers.

3\. Strigam- Based on Las Vegas and its many hotels. This region has a very diverse environment that ranges from tropical jungles to barren deserts to cities the likes of which have never been seen before. Ash's travelling companions for this region are Kitty, a gloomy girl who has a terrible case of bad luck, Kitty's Absol, and Julius, a master businessman and strategist who tends to be very flamboyant and overdramatic.

4\. Dangohn- Based on Korea. This region is more technology-based and is one of the most futuristic regions in the world. Ash's travelling companions for this region are USB, a nervous hacker who just wants to find out where they belong in the world, USB's Rotom, and Greg, a man who's tired of the day-to-day minutiae of life and longs for adventure.

5\. Okayall- Based on the American old west. A region where you'll find the toughest trainers, the biggest crooks, and the best battles. Ash's travelling companions for this region are Kenny, a tough country boy who has no respect for "city folk" like Ash, Kenny's Sandile, and Tina, a Pokemon Pageant queen who loves cute Pokemon.

6\. Aztexo- Based on Mexico. This region was once under the rule of a different one in ancient times which resulted in an extinction event they're only just starting to recover from. Ash's travelling companions for this region are George, a wannabe-paleontologist who shows enthusiasm when it comes to ancient Pokemon, George's Tyrunt, and Joyce, an aspiring dancer who wants to become as powerful a trainer as her older sister.

7\. Stokell- Based on Transylvania. This region has a very dark history, but is also full of exciting stories, traditions, and folklore from the townsfolk. Ash's travelling companions for this region are Toxin, a rebellious girl who wants to prove her parents wrong about her capability as a trainer, Toxin's Salandit, and Ernie, a mustachioed world-traveller who is very full of himself

Those are the seven regions and all the companions you'll be seeing in this fic! Be sure to stick around till the end, though, because I have a big surprise planned! Don't worry, it won't make this fic any longer than it's already going to be. That's pretty much all I have to say, so I hope you enjoy Ash's new journeys in all seven stories. You'll see thrilling adventures, amazing new Pokemon, and incredibly tough trainers, rivals, and villains all as the journey continues!


	2. Chapter 2

_**Luna**_

It was the dawn of a normal day. Or at least it was as normal as it could get in the Zooks region. We find ourselves in the small community of Cosmodrop Town, a town that is very simple, with only a few houses and an enormous laboratory facing the sea on the far side of the community. At this time of day, most people were still be asleep even though it was already afternoon. Sleeping in would be the normal thing to do, but normal is not something that can be found often in Zooks.

"Bye, mom! I'll be back soon!" A girl with long, blonde hair tied back in pigtails and wide, curious, blue eyes was exiting her house with a picnic basket and her Pokemon partner: a Clefairy she had had with her for as long as she could remember. The girl was dressed in a simple, white ruffled blouse with light blue trim and a matching skirt. She began walking with her Pokemon partner away from her house and towards the edge of town.

"Clefairy?" Her Pokemon asked.

"Of course I packed enough for you, silly." The girl giggled. "Come on. We've got to hurry." The girl and her Clefairy jogged towards the path out of town. She and her Pokemon went down a dirt path with beautiful meadows on each side of it. They then strayed off the path, going into the meadow, and sat down together to open the picnic basket. "They should be here any minute." The girl said serenely, perfectly content to wait for her friends to arrive. While they waited, the girl offered her Clefairy a brownie from the basket that was chock-full of assorted candy and nuts: a delicacy from the Zooks region known as Mystery Fudge. The Pokemon glady ate it and sat with its trainer, still waiting.

The girl looked down at her Pokemon. "You certainly seem happy today." She remarked. Of course, her Clefairy had shown no physical signs of excessive happiness, but her trainer could tell that the small Fairy Pokemon was excited to see its Pokemon pals soon.

"Clef Clef." The Pokemon said with a smile.

The girl giggled. "They should be here any second now." She said, patting her Pokemon kindly on the head. Just then, the girl felt a surge of joy run through her. She knew what that meant. "They're here!" She said as a group of Pokemon began moving through the meadow.

"Caterpie Pie!" A Caterpie said happily when it saw the girl and her Clefairy.

"Zigzagoon!" A Zigzagoon barked as the girl offered it a piece of Mystery Fudge like the one she had given her Clefairy.

"Don't worry, everyone." She said. "I brought enough for all of you." The Pokemon all cheered joyously.

The girl could feel joy radiating off of them like a warm light. She could sense how glad they were to see her again today, how happy they were enjoying a fine, sweet meal together. She couldn't explain why or how she could sense these things, but it was a gift she had had all her life.

The girl handed out more food to the Pokemon gathered around her. She had known them all for a while and knew what they liked to eat. She had made sure to pack a jar of peanut butter for a Pokemon that looked like an extra large, grey wolf pup. "Peela Peel!" The Puppeela barked happily as it ate the brown, tasty paste straight out of the jar

The girl had also remembered to pack a few pieces of meat kept rare for a green, lizard-like Pokemon, as well as some birdseed for a brown and yellow Flying Pokemon with wings that glowed.

"Grunchlunch!" The green lizard known as a Grunchlunch said as it munched on the meat.

"Tweet Tweet! Lightweet!" The bird called Lightweet chirped as it pecked away at the birdseed.

All of the Pokemon that came to visit the girl every day were all happy. So then why did the girl sense two Pokemon feeling immense amounts of rage?

"Ursaring, Focus Blast!"

"Use Dark Pulse, Mightyena!"

Two blasts of energy hit the ground near the girl and her Pokemon, sending the Pokemon scattering in panic. The girl looked up to see two boys about her age standing there with their Pokemon. "Well, look who it is." The first boy sneered. "Loony, Loopy Luna herself."

The girl whose name was Luna quivered in fear at the sight of these boys. They'd been bullying her for a while now and she knew to be afraid of them.

"L-leave me alone." She said in a small voice.

The second boy chuckled. "But what fun would that be?" He said. "Of course, if you gave us all that food you brought, we might go on our way."

"Th-that food is for the Pokemon!" Luna protested.

"Riiight." The first boy said mockingly. "Because Loony, Loopy Luna cares so much for her wittle friends."

"Pokemon are for battling, you weirdo!" The other boy said. "Now, if you don't want to give us that food, we'll battle you for it."

The bullies both knew that Luna wouldn't battle them. She could feel wave after wave of pure terror coming off her Clefairy at the mere mention of Pokemon battles. "Please." She whimpered. "Just go."

The first boy cracked a wicked smile. "How about we get the battle started for you?" He said. "Ursaring, Focus Blast again!"

"Mightyena, hit her Clefairy with a Dark Pulse!" The second boy said.

Both their Pokemon launched their attacks. Luna jumped in front of her Clefairy and hugged it close to protect it. She braced herself for the full impact of the attacks.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail! Go!"

"Pika!"

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a Pikachu came and blocked both of the bullies' Pokemon attacks with an Iron Tail move. Luna looked at the small, yellow mouse Pokemon that had saved her. She could feel how strong it was and how confident it felt with its trainer by its side.

"Great job, buddy!" Luna turned behind herself to see another boy her age standing there. He had short, spiky black hair under a blue and white baseball cap with a Pokeball symbol on it, and wore a red jacket vest over a blue t-shirt with the symbol for the Pokemon League emblazoned on it. "Now use Thunderbolt!" He confidently commanded his partner.

Pikachu leapt up in the air, its red cheeks sparking with electricity. "Piiiiikachuuuuuuuu!" It yelled as it fired a Thunderbolt more powerful than Luna had ever seen at the bullies' Ursaring and Mightyena. It hit both Pokemon at once due to their close proximity to each other, shocking them thoroughly and causing them both to faint after only one shot.

"Whoa! What the heck?!" One of the bullies exclaimed.

"Let's get outta here!" The other one said. The two bullies returned their Pokemon to their balls and took off running.

"Are you okay?" The boy who saved Luna asked. "I'm sorry those guys were picking on you. Hopefully they'll leave you alone now."

Luna stood up so that she was face-to-face with the boy. She smiled. "Thank you so much!" She said.

"Clef Clefairy!" Her Clefairy said, equally thankful.

"You really saved us back there! I don't know how I can repay you!" Luna went on.

The boy's stomach started growling. He chuckled embarrassedly. "Maybe a little lunch would be fine." He said.

Luna smiled. "Great! Come with me. We can eat at my house. It's just down the road in Cosmodrop Town."

"That's great!" The boy said as his Pikachu jumped up on his shoulder. "That's where we were heading anyways. Right, buddy?"

"Pi Pika!" His Pikachu said, equally happy to get to their next destination.

The two of them started walking back towards the path that led to Cosmodrop Town. "I'm Luna by the way." Luna said. "What's your name?"

The boy smiled. "Ash." He said. "Ash Ketchum. Nice to meet you."

Our hero has arrived in the Zooks region, and he's already made a new friend to boot! What adventures await him in this new land full of so many mysteries? We'll find out as the journey continues.


	3. Chapter 3

_**The Weird Girl**_

"You're really from Kanto?"

"Yep! Pallet Town, actually."

A new journey has just begun for our hero, and right from the start he's made a new friend: a girl named Luna and her Clefairy partner. "That's so fascinating." Luna remarked. "So, what brings you all the way out here to Zooks?"

"Well, a friend of mine is here right now doing research for a famous Pokemon professor." Ash explained.

"Prof. Oak?"

"No, Prof. Sycamore." Ash explained. "Clemont's from Kalos, and Prof. Sycamore asked him to come to Zooks to research something that he thinks could be related to Mega Evolution."

"Wow! Mega Evolution!" Luna was already impressed by this boy. He seemed to know plenty of interesting people. "What exactly is he researching?" Luna asked.

"He didn't say." Ash replied. "But he did tell me about all the cool Pokemon down here, and I just had to see them for myself! I decided I'm going to compete in the Zooks Pokemon League!"

"The Pokemon League... Wow!" Luna breathed. "I wish I could do that."

Ash was confused. "Why can't you do that?" He asked. "You already have a Pokemon. If you want to enter it, why don't you just go for it?"

Luna stayed silent for a few moments, carefully choosing her words for what to say next. "I just… Don't like seeing my Pokemon get hurt." She replied quietly.

Ash smiled. "I understand." He said. "Nobody really likes to see that, but I know Pikachu would get pretty upset if he gave up having to battle. Right, buddy?"

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu replied enthusiastically, its cheeks sparking with electricity. Luna smiled sadly. Of course she wanted to battle with her Pokemon. It just wasn't her choice in that matter.

"My house is right up here." She said as she and Ash made it back to Cosmodrop Town. Luna's house was right in front of the path of Route 1, but the first thing Ash laid his eyes on was the enormous Pokemon laboratory at the back end of the town. It stuck out more than a Sandshrew in a snowpatch (Assuming said snowpatch isn't in Alola, that is). The building was so massive, it easily dwarfed all the houses, and there were all different kinds of machines and instruments attached to it that seemed to be measuring or sensing something in the surrounding area.

"So cool!" Ash exclaimed. "I gotta go there!"

Luna giggled. "Well, at least wait to leave until after lunch." She said. "I do still have to thank you for saving me, you know." Luna unlocked the front door and entered her house with Ash. The foyer was pretty nice, with flower wallpaper, a potted plant by the door, and several flowers of different varieties sitting in smaller pots on a table beside the entrance to the living room.

"Wow. Cool flowers." Ash said. "I'm a little surprised now that you don't have a Grass type Pokemon with you instead. Yowch!"

Ash suddenly found himself taking a Double Slap to the thigh from Luna's Clefairy. "Clef Clef!" It said.

"Sorry about that." Luna said. "Clefairy gets pretty mad whenever someone brings up me having a different Pokemon. And the plants aren't actually my choice. They're from my parents' home region." A thought suddenly occurred to Luna. "Speaking of my parents, I should probably tell you-"

"Luna? Sweetie, is that you?" A woman with tan skin, gorgeous black hair, and eyes the color of the sweetest chocolate walked in from the kitchen. Ash blinked a couple of times in surprise. This woman looked absolutely nothing like Luna, but talked like she was her mother. "I'm surprised to see you back so soon, mija." She said. "Oh! And you made a friend! Magnificent!"

"Um… Yeah, hi! I'm Ash." Ash said, still puzzled. "Are you Luna's mother?"

"Si, of course." Luna's mother replied. "Why do you look so confused? Oh! Right. Sorry for surprising you with that little detail. Come into the kitchen. I'll explain."

"Mom, please don't explain." Luna mumbled quietly. But her mother was already in the kitchen and couldn't hear her. Ash and Luna sat down at the kitchen table while Luna's mother talked and made them a quick lunch.

"You see, I'm not related to Luna, but I am still her mother" Luna's mother said. "We adopted her about a year ago. Good thing too. The last home she was in…" Luna's mother stopped short when she saw Luna's reflection in the window of the microwave. Her daughter's lip was trembling at the thought of her previous home. She quickly changed the subject. "Anyways, Luna's a very special girl. Did you know that she can sense whatever your Pokemon is feeling?"

"Wow! Really?" Ash exclaimed. "That's so cool! Hey, can you tell what Pikachu is feeling right now?"

Ash held up Pikachu for Luna to see. "Pikachu?" It said, perhaps asking Luna what she thought it was feeling. Luna closed her eyes and took a deep breath to refresh herself. When she opened them, she had the answer.

"Pikachu's definitely happy." She replied. "It seems to have a lot of affection for you." Ash smiled. "But what it's feeling the most right now is actually hunger." Right at that moment, Pikachu's stomach growled. Ash was completely amazed.

"Wow! That's so cool!" He said as Luna's mother brought them their lunch: grilled cheese sandwiches with a side of assorted fruit, as well as some Pokemon food for Pikachu and Clefairy. "How do you do that?" He asked as he dug into his sandwich.

"I don't know really." Luna said. "It's just something I'm able to do. It's… It's okay if you think it's weird." She added a little sadly at the end. While her gift was amazing, it also freaked a lot of people out. Luna didn't really have any friends other than the Pokemon she would visit in the meadows on Route 1. Everyone just thought of her as " _that weird girl_."

"Weird? No way! It's totally awesome!" Luna was surprised to hear that. "Man, I so wish I could be able to do that too!" Ash went on. "I'd love to find out what all my Pokemon are feeling so I can treat them the best possible way I can." Luna smiled and blushed a little in embarrassment. "Hey, speaking of Pokemon, why don't we have a battle right here?" That question stunned Luna. She didn't have an answer for it. "I know you don't like seeing your Pokemon get hurt," Ash went on, "but Pikachu and I know how to be safe in battles, so our Pokemon shouldn't get hurt much.

"Um…" Luna mumbled. "Well, you see… Uh…"

Luna's mom could see her adoptive-daughter was struggling to get the words out, so she stepped in. "I'm sorry, Ash." She said. "It's not Luna that doesn't want to battle. It's her Clefairy." Ash looked over at Clefairy, who was actually trembling, terrified at even the thought of battling another Pokemon.

"Clefairy's scared of Pokemon battles." Luna admitted quietly. Just another reason everyone thought she was weird. What kind of Pokemon doesn't like battling? "I don't know why Clefairy's scared of them, but I don't want her to do anything she doesn't want to."

"Clef Clef." Clefairy said thankfully.

Ash thought for a minute. He had never seen a Pokemon before that was actually afraid of battling. Plus he really wanted to battle Luna. Then the solution came to him.

"Well, why don't we just go get you another Pokemon? OW!" Clefairy once again Double Slapped Ash's leg, much harder this time, at the mention of Luna owning another Pokemon. "Not to keep!" Ash said, trying to get Clefairy to stop hitting him. "We could just go and borrow one from the Pokemon lab. I bet they have tons of Pokemon you could use up there. I mean, that place is huge!"

Luna thought about it for a few moments. "Would you be okay if I just borrowed a Pokemon?" She asked Clefairy.

Clefairy knew how badly its trainer wanted to have a Pokemon battle, so it relented. "Clef." It said with a nod.

Luna smiled. "Then let's get going!" Ash exclaimed. He crammed the rest of his sandwich into his mouth, grabbed Luna by the arm, and pulled her excitedly with their Pokemon in tow.

Our heroes are on their way to the Cosmodrop Town Pokemon lab! However, our heroes are nothing without our villains.

"Did you hear that?"

"Crystal clear. Plenty of Pokemon prime for the plucking!"

"Then let's get to pluckin' 'em!"

"Wobbuffet!"

A group of evildoers came up from their hiding place in a nearby bush and put away the parabolic microphone they were using to listen in on the conversation in the house.

"Guess those two twerps better prepare for trouble." The redheaded female villain said.

Her male partner grinned wickedly. "And make it double." He said as they started trekking up towards the Pokemon laboratory.

"And ain't no twerp gonna be blastin' Team Rocket off dis time!" Said their cat Pokemon sidekick.

"Wobbu Wobbu!" Their other Pokemon agreed.

Team Rocket has arrived in the Zooks region and are hot on the trail of our heroes. Will they finally be able to capture Ash's precious Pikachu? We'll find out as the journey continues.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Bayberry and Brian**_

Ash and his new friend, Luna, were on their way to the Cosmodrop Town Pokemon Lab. What mysteries and Pokemon it holds inside, we'll find out soon.

"So, what's the professor like?" Ash asked. "Have you ever met him before?"

Luna shook her head. "No, but I hear he's one of the smartest people on the planet." She replied. "Probably even smarter than Prof. Oak."

"Wow! Really?" Ash was psyched. He couldn't believe anyone in the world could be smarter than Prof. Oak. Then something occurred to Ash. "Wait, if he's smarter than Prof. Oak, why haven't I heard of him before?"

"Well, from what I've heard, a lot of people think he's…" Luna took a moment to find the right words, but there weren't really any good ways to say it. " He's apparently kind of a whackadoo." She said a little sheepishly.

"Really? Why's that?"

"I don't know." Luna said. "I think he just isn't usually taken seriously that often. There's a lot of stuff in this region that's… Pretty unbelievable."

Finally, the duo made it to the Pokemon Lab. It was even more impressive up close. A bronze-colored building with several appliances on top of it that seemed to be measuring… Something. What that was, neither Ash nor Luna could really tell. It gave off a very steampunk-ish vibe, and Ash was excited to see inside of it. "You ready?" Ash asked. He wasn't sure if Luna had ever been in a Pokemon battle before since her Clefairy was afraid of them, but he hoped that Luna was prepared for what winning a battle takes.

Luna looked back down at Clefairy for an answer. Jealousy rolled off Clefairy in waves even at the thought of Luna simply borrowing a Pokemon. But she also sensed that Clefairy would be happy so long as Luna was happy. So, Luna decided. "Yes." She said finally.

It took the combined strength of both of them to open the incredibly heavy, bronze door. "I wonder what kind of Pokemon the professor studies." Ash remarked. Finally, they got the door open.

"QUICK! CATCH IT! CATCH IT!"

"IT'S GOT MY FACE! IT'S GOT MY FACE!"

"IT WENT OVER THERE! GRAB IT! FASTER!"

"DUCK AND COVER! IT'S ABOUT TO FIRE!"

Ash and Luna both jumped at the sound of what sounded like a laser gun followed by an explosion. That coupled with all the frantic yelling at the back of the lab caused Ash to rush in to try and save whoever was in there. "Ash! Wait!" But Ash didn't wait. Luna hesitated a moment, then followed Ash to the back of the lab.

It was just outside the door to the Pokemon conservatory most Pokemon labs had where they saw it: two men, both in labcoats, trying to catch (Or at least avoid getting killed by) a Pokemon. At least it appeared to be a Pokemon. It resembled a vicious-looking lizard with its lower body stuck inside what appeared to be a flying saucer. "Reeeptalieeeeeen!" It roared before firing some sort of laser-based attack Ash had never seen before. The two labcoated individuals both jumped out of the way and the strange Pokemon began flying towards Ash and Luna.

"Pikachu, trap it with Electroweb!"

"Pika Pika Pi!" Pikachu yelled as it fired an Electroweb attack at the Pokemon. However, the Pokemon countered with Flash Cannon, blasting the web apart and sending Pikachu flying back to Ash.

"Oof!" Ash said as he caught Pikachu. "You okay, buddy?"

"Pika Pika." Pikachu said reassuringly.

"Wait! What are you kids doing here?!" Exclaimed one of the labcoated men. This one wore large horn-rimmed glasses on his face and a turtleneck sweater underneath his coat. He had bushy, grey hair, plenty of stubble on his face, and bags under his eyes that implied this was not a man who slept very much. "Get out of here! It's too dangerous!"

"No way! We want to help!" Ash said. "Pikachu, use Electroweb again!"

Pikachu fired another Electroweb, but the lizard Pokemon flew under it and zoomed past Ash and Luna. "No! Get back here, you!" The man with the grey hair yelled, running after the beast. Ash watched as he went chasing after it.

"What in the world was that thing?" He wondered aloud.

"To be honest, it may not even be something _from_ this world." The other labcoated man approached Ash and Luna. This one looked much younger than the other man, probably in his early to mid 20's. He also wore glasses, though these were much sleeker in design than the other man's big, blocky glasses. He had a mess of curly, brown hair on his head and sparse patches of facial hair on his face. But Ash didn't care what this man looked like. He cared about what he had said.

"Not from this world?" Ash repeated in awe. "What do you mean?"

The labcoated man smiled kindly, happy to explain. "Well, you see, at this lab the professor and I study oddities in Pokemon." He said. "That particular Pokemon is actually vital to proving one of the professor's theories right: that there are Pokemon that actually come from other planets aside from Earth."

"Wow! Alien Pokemon! That's so cool!" Ash exclaimed.

Luna wasn't as excited by that notion. "So, if you're not the professor, who are you then?" She asked.

"Oh, sorry. I guess I haven't introduced myself yet." The man said. "Please, call me Brian."

"Nice to meet you, Brian." Ash said. "I'm Ash, and this is Pikachu."

"Pikachu." Pikachu said politely to introduce himself.

"I'm Luna, by the way." Luna said shyly." This is Clefairy."

"Clef Clef." Clefairy said.

"Um, is the professor going to be okay chasing after that Pokemon in the lab all by himself?" Luna asked. "Maybe one of us should help."

"He'll be fine." Brian said. "Prof. Bayberry may not look it, but he's a pretty tough guy. He'll yell if he needs any help. Then we can go after him."

"SON OF A HERDIER! WHO IS THE COLOSSAL NUMBSKULL THAT'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS?!"

"That kind of yelling I suggest we run away from, though." Brian joked. Ash, Luna, and Brian rushed to the front of the lab where Prof. Bayberry was.

"Which one of you kids did this?!" He yelled, gesturing to the wide-open front door. It appeared that the lizard alien Pokemon had escaped through it.

Luna made a noise that sounded like a terrified whimper. "I-I-I-I'm sorry, Prof. Bayberry." She stammered guiltily. "You sounded like you were in trouble, so Ash and I just rushed in and we-we-we didn't think about closing the door behind us. I'm so sorry."

"Sorry?" Prof. Bayberry said in a cold voice. "You think your little sorries are going to get that Pokemon back? Now I don't have any proof for my research and it's all your fault!"

Luna looked like she was about to cry. Ash stepped forward. "Hey, leave her alone!" He exclaimed. "All she did was make a mistake!"

"Professor, in all fairness, it does seem like a mistake anyone would make given the circumstances." Brian said, trying to calm the professor down.

"Prof. Bayberry glared at the three of them and sighed. "Fine." He relented. "I suppose you're right. Now, what did you children want that you came here looking for?"

"Luna wants to borrow a Pokemon so she and I can have a battle." Ash replied.

"Why?" Prof. Bayberry asked. "She's already got a Pokemon right there." He pointed at Clefairy. "Just use that one."

"I can't." Luna said. "Clefairy's afraid of Pokemon battles."

That got Prof. Bayberry's attention. "A Pokemon that's afraid of Pokemon battles…" He pondered. "Fascinating! I should document this. It could be an excellent research subject."

"So, does that mean you'll let Luna borrow a spare Pokemon?" Ash asked.

Prof. Bayberry thought about it for a moment. "Mmm, no." He finally said. "No, I don't think I'll be doing that."

"What?!" Ash exclaimed.

"Professor, if this is about the door-" Brian began. The professor held up a finger to silence him.

"My decision has been made." He said. He then started heading back towards the door to the Pokemon conservatory. "Farewell, children. I wish you nothing but the best." He said as he walked, sounding a tad insincere.

"What if I battled you for it?"

The professor stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Excuse me?" He said.

"I said what if I battled you." Ash replied. "If I win, you have to lend Luna a Pokemon. If I lose, we'll leave you alone. What do you say?"

Luna was touched that someone would go to such lengths to try and let her have a little bit of fun. She wondered what Prof. Bayberry would say.

Prof. Bayberry pondered Ash's notion for a minute. He could tell this boy was confident in his abilities as a Pokemon trainer. But, then again, he had never been up against Prof. Bernard Bayberry before. "All right." Prof. Bayberry replied. "I'll give you that chance at least." The professor went over to a nearby table, on which sat three Pokeballs. Ash assumed that these were the three starter Pokemon given out to trainers who are just beginning their journey. Prof. Bayberry selected one of the balls. "I take it you'll be using that Pikachu." He said, tossing the ball playfully up and down in his hand. "Then, just to be a good sport, I'll choose a Pokemon that you'll have an advantage against. Harbotter, come out now!"

The professor threw the Pokeball and out popped a Pokemon that resembled a sea otter. Ash was suddenly reminded of the Oshawott he had gotten during his travels in Unnova, but this otter Pokemon was different than that one. Its fur consisted of much darker shades of blue, almost looking black in some parts. It was also a few inches taller and sported no shell on its chest. "Harbotter!" It grunted confidently, taking a battle-ready position.

Ash grinned. "All right, Pikachu, let's do this!"

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu leapt down from Ash's shoulder and took a fighting stance as well.

Both trainers waited, trying to see which one would make the first move. Ash seized the opportunity. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"

"Pi!" Pikachu's tail glowed bright white and it charged straight at Harbotter, ready to strike.

Prof. Bayberry smiled. This kid had no chance. "Harbotter, dodge and use Water Pulse!"

"Water Pulse?!" Ash watched in shock as Harbotter managed to side-step Pikachu and blasted him with a close-range Water Pulse. No starter Pokemon could be able to use that move right from the start.

Prof. Bayberry chuckled at Ash's confusion. "I see." He said. "You assumed I was using a starter Pokemon. Well, it is true that Harbotter is one of the Pokemon I typically give out to trainers, but I like to keep separate Pokemon of the same type who are more powerful for my own uses.

Ash gritted his teeth. He hadn't seen this coming. "Pikachu, can you stand?"

Pikachu got up, though he was a little wobbly. "Pikachuuuu?" It slurred as it swayed where it stood. Ash recognized the signs: Pikachu was Confused. But he had to fight through it if he wanted to win.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt! Go!" Pikachu's cheeks sparked with electricity. That was a good sign. It began charging up the energy.

"Piiiiikaaaaa…" But then, when it came time to release the energy, the poor Electric Pokemon only wound up electrocuting himself. "CHUUUUUUUU!" It screamed as it faced the power of its own Thunderbolt attack. Prof. Bayberry was surprised to see a Pikachu with that much power. Such a shame he was going to have to defeat it.

"All right, Harbotter, time to finish him off! Use-"

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the whole laboratory. "It came from the conservatory!" Brian said. Ash, Luna, and Prof. Bayberry all followed him to the back door of the lab. Prof. Bayberry opened it and they all gasped at what they saw.

A giant Meowth balloon was floating above the now-empty Pokemon conservatory. The Pokemon the conservatory once contained were all now trapped in a giant net attached to the balloon. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Prof. Bayberry yelled.

"Who's responsible for this?" Brian asked aloud. Ash felt himself fill with hot rage. He knew exactly who this was.

"Prepare for trouble. Who are we, you ask?"

"And make it double. We'll explain real fast."

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie."

"And James."

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!"

"Team Rocket!" Ash growled. Team Rocket is back, and they're making off with all of Prof. Bayberry's Pokemon. Will our heroes be able to defeat them? We'll find out as the journey continues.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Rocket Scientists**_

"Team Rocket, what are you doing here?!"

"Why, what we do best of course!" James responded. "Stealing Pokemon!"

"We _were_ just going to take your Pikachu," Jessie went on, "but with all these rare Pokemon sitting right under our balloon, we thought we'd go for the whole shebang!"

"You can't just take all of the professor's Pokemon!" Ash yelled up at them, but that only made the evil trio laugh.

"Just try and stop us!" Jessie taunted.

Ash gritted his teeth, primed for battle. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt to knock them down!" He commanded.

"Pikaaaa… Chuuuu…" Ash had forgotten that Pikachu was still confused after enduring that Water Pulse attack earlier. Because of that, Pikachu only succeeded in shocking himself again.

Team Rocket saw this happen and laughed hard. "Wow! I never thought I'd see the day when that pesky Pikachu got a taste of its own medicine." James remarked.

"Pikachu!" Ash ran over to the little mouse Pokemon. Pikachu was tired, but he was still able to fight. "You okay, buddy?" Ash asked.

Pikachu shook his head, clearing up his Confused state. "Pikachu!" It said happily

The balloon started floating higher into the air. Soon, it would be too far away to free the Pokemon trapped in the net beneath it. "Buh-bye, twerp!" Jessie taunted. Meowth even blew Ash a raspberry just to make him angrier.

"Think you have enough in you to free those Pokemon?" Ash asked his partner.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu . Its cheeks started sparking, charging up for a big Thunderbolt. "Piiiiikaaaaaachuuuuuuuu!" Pikachu yelled as it blasted its electric attack right at Team Rocket's balloon. While the attack didn't hit Team Rocket, it did blast apart the rope holding the net to their balloon, causing all of the Pokemon to safely drop down back into the lab.

"What?! Ohhh, you'll pay for that one, you little twerp!" Jessie yelled. Team Rocket lowered their balloon, ready for battle. "Wobbuffet, get down there and teach him a lesson!"

"Wobbuffet!" Jessie's Wobbuffet jumped down from the balloon and struck its usual pose as it prepared for battle. Ash was perfectly willing to fight Team Rocket, but Wobbuffet's Mirror Coat and Counter attacks would prevent him from doing any damage. Still, he had to try.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt again!" Ash commanded.

"Wobbuffet, Mirror Coat!" Jessie ordered.

Both Pokemon used their individual attacks. Pikachu shot forth a powerful electric blast, but Wobbuffet bounced it right back at Pikachu with double the power. "Pikachu, dodge!" Pikachu leapt out of the way just in time.

"That Wobbuffet certainly is a tough one." Prof. Bayberry remarked, sounding rather intrigued.

"Yeah. It's pretty hard to beat." Ash replied. "Any attack I use on it just gets thrown right back at me.

Luna could sense that Pikachu was feeling extremely tired. He had clearly overworked himself while he was confused. Luna knew she had to step in and help. "Come on, Clefairy! We'll help them out!" Clefairy didn't respond. "Clefairy?" Luna turned to see her Clefairy cowering up against the wall. She could sense how horribly terrified her poor Pokemon was. "Sorry, Ash. I can't help." Luna said. "Clefairy's too scared."

"That's okay." Ash said. "I think I should be able to beat Wobbuffet on my own. Pikachu, get in close and use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu ran at Wobbuffet, its tail glowing white with power. Jessie only laughed. "You twerps never learn." She taunted. "Wobbuffet, Counter!"

Wobbuffet got ready to block Pikachu's physical attack, but then… "Haaaaaarbotter!" A Water Pulse attack hit Wobbuffet dead center in its face. The attack was enough to make Wobbuffet forget about using Counter, allowing Pikachu to knock him back with a powerful Iron Tail. Ash turned back to see the professor's Harbotter. It had just saved Pikachu from taking a ton of damage and landed a hit on Wobbuffet, which Ash could rarely do on his own.

Ash smiled. "Thanks, Harbotter! Keep it up!"

"Harbott!" Harbotter replied, taking a fighting stance.

"Hey! Two on one isn't any fair!" Jessie yelled.

"What? You three are never fair!" Ash countered. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt! Harbotter, Tackle attack!"

Pikachu fired another blast of electricity at Wobbuffet as Harbotter rushed towards it. Jessie had a plan though. "Wobbuffet, use Mirror Coat and aim at that Harbotter!" Wobbuffet did as instructed, taking Pikachu's attack and firing it back at Harbotter.

"Harbotteeeeerrr!" Harbotter cried out as it was blasted backwards.

"Harbotter! No!" Ash yelled. "Ergh! I need to think of a plan!"

Prof. Bayberry's assistant, Brian, stepped forward. "Perhaps I can help." He said, drawing a Pokeball from his belt. "Illumini, go!"

From Brian's Pokeball, a Pokemon Ash had never seen before popped out. This Pokemon looked like a glowing, yellow triangle made of pure energy with one giant blue eye in the center of it and two smaller triangles floating beneath it. "Illumini!" It said in a digital-sounding voice.

"Illumini, use Charge Beam!" Brian commanded. His Illumini fired a beam of electricity from its big, blue eye at Wobbuffet.

Team Rocket laughed again. "Wow! Even the professor's pupil is a pinhead!" James remarked.

"Right." Jessie said. "Wobbuffet, use Mirror Coat!"

Wobbuffet activated Mirror Coat, but something went wrong. "Wobbuuuuuuuu!" Wobbuffet cried as it was shocked thoroughly by Illumini's Charge Beam. When it was finished, Wobbuffet was down for the count.

"What?!" Jessie exclaimed. "How?!"

"Illumini's got a special ability called Secret Knowledge." Brian explained. "This ability allows its attacks to get past moves that protect opponent's Pokemon such as Mirror Coat or Counter."

"That's so awesome!" Ash exclaimed. "Now, let's knock that balloon out of the sky!"

"Pika!" Pikachu's cheeks started sparking again, preparing to blast off Team Rocket once again.

"Aaah! Quick! Return Wobbuffet and let's blow this popsicle stand!" Meowth said worriedly.

Prof. Bayberry gasped as he heard Meowth speak. "A talking Meowth…" He said in awe. He then turned to Brian. "Shoot the balloon down, but don't hurt them!" He said.

"Right, professor." Brian said. "Illumini, use Confusion to bring down their balloon!"

Illumini's eye glowed bright blue as it started pulling Team Rocket's balloon down. "They're trying to get us!" Meowth yelled in fright.

"We need to get out of here!" James said, desperately trying to power the balloon's lift more.

"Illuuuuuuuumini!" Illumini finally, using all its power, pulled the balloon down hard, causing it to crash in the middle of the lab, scattering the Pokemon Team Rocket had tried to steal. The trio pulled themselves out of the wreckage of their balloon only to be met with the snarling faces of all the Pokemon they had tried to capture.

"Oh, hello there." Jessie said nervously.

"They all look pretty mad." Meowth whimpered.

"Well, I mean, we did try and steal them." James reasoned, earning him a slap upside the head from Jessie.

"All right, Pikachu, let's send these guys packing!" Ash said. "Use-"

"Hold it!" Before Pikachu or any of the other Pokemon could attack, Prof. Bayberry stepped forward and helped Team Rocket to their feet. "My apologies for crashing your balloon." He said. "I only did so because I wanted to make you an offer."

"Professor, what are you doing?" Brian asked.

"Why, offering these three jobs as my research associates, of course!" Prof. Bayberry explained as if that made any sense at all. "As you may have heard, my specialty of study is in Pokemon oddities. I believe that these three, especially with their talking Meowth, could be excellent helpers in that research!"

"What?! Professor, you can't be serious!" Ash exclaimed. "These people are criminals! They steal Pokemon!"

"They just tried to steal _your_ Pokemon, professor!" Luna added.

"In all fairness, Prof. Bayberry, it does seem a bit odd offering Pokemon thieves a job." Brian said.

"Well, stuff that's odd is my favorite!" Prof. Bayberry said happily. He turned back to Team Rocket. "So,what do you say?" He asked.

Team Rocket all looked at each other and smiled wickedly. "Could you give us just a second to think about it?" Jessie asked, feigning innocence. She, James, and Meowth quickly moved away from the others to huddle up and talk privately. "So, we're all in agreement?" She asked.

"For sure!" Meowth said. "Taking that stupid scientist's job offer will give us plenty of opportunities to pluck some precious Pokemon from their puny trainer's hands!"

"Agreed!" James confirmed. They all unhuddled and went back to the professor. "We accept your offer!" James said.

"Excellent!" Prof. Bayberry shook all three of their hands. "We can get you three to work right away! I think a little hard work as researchers may even make you reconsider your criminal ways."

"Uh… Right." Jessie said, suppressing a laugh at that ridiculous statement.

"But, professor, they're guaranteed to commit some crimes while they work for you!" Ash pleaded, trying to prevent the professor from making a major mistake. "How are you going to stop them from doing that?"

"Hmm…" Prof. Bayberry stroked his chin until he finally had an idea. "Yes, that might work! Simple negative reinforcement!"

"Simple negative whatnow?" Meowth asked.

"It's simple, really." Prof. Bayberry explained. "I'll just develop some ways to make sure you three aren't encouraged to commit crime, or to otherwise simply stop the crimes you commit. I think I'll call them my 'Criminal Activity Prevention Equipment.' Or CAPEs for short."

Team Rocket didn't seem too keen on whatever Prof. Bayberry was talking about, but they didn't protest. Any methods Prof. Bayberry could use to stop them from stealing Pokemon were sure to fail!

 _Right?_

Prof. Bayberry then turned to Ash and Luna. "Now, I believe there is still the matter of the battle you two were planning to have." He said.

"Wait, you mean you'll let Luna borrow a Pokemon now?" Ash asked, getting fired up for the battle already.

"Of course." Prof. Bayberry replied. "You more than proved your battle prowess against these three. I would love to see you use those same skills in another battle."

"This is great!" Ash turned to Luna. "You ready to battle, Luna?"

A small smile crossed Luna's face. "Yes." She said. "Let's do it!"

Prof. Bayberry led everyone back inside the laboratory. "Of course, there is the matter of which of my Pokemon you'll be using." Prof. Bayberry said. "Of course, you've already seen Harbotter, but not the other two." Prof. Bayberry went to the table where he had gotten Harbotter's Pokeball and grabbed the other two sitting there. "Now, come out, everybody!"

Prof. Bayberry threw the two Pokeballs up into the air. What kind of Pokemon will they hold inside? We'll find out as the journey continues.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Never Forget Your First**_

The Pokeballs that Prof. Bayberry threw up in the air opened, and out came two Pokemon that Ash had never seen before. The first one was a cat with red fur and orange spots that also had pointed ears with the ears having small flames on the tips. "Lynxinge." The Pokemon purred, stretching after getting out of its ball.

The other Pokemon was a green-furred beaver with a tail that looked like it was made of tree bark. "Treever!" That Pokemon squeaked happily.

"Whoa! What kind of Pokemon are those?" Ash asked, always excited to see new Pokemon.

"Here." Prof. Bayberry grabbed something else off the table he had gotten the Pokeballs from. It looked like very steampunk-ish with several gizmos attached to it, much like the exterior of the Pokemon lab itself, but it also resembled a regular Pokedex. "See for yourself." The professor said.

Ash scanned the cat Pokemon with the Pokedex and its entry popped up. "Lynxinge," it said, "the Lynx Pokemon. A Fire type. Lynxinge is known to live in cold climates, but it stays warm thanks to the fires burning at the tips of its ears."

"So cool!" Ash said. He then scanned the other Pokemon.

"Treever: the Tree-Eating Pokemon. This Pokemon's diet consists mostly of tree bark. It loves the taste of tree bark so much that it takes incredible willpower to keep it from eating its own tail."

"Wow!" And, just for the heck of it, Ash also scanned Harbotter.

"Harbotter: the Harbor Pokemon. Harbotters are very friendly to humans and other Pokemon of their species, but can become fierce fighters when threatened."

"Holy cow, these Pokemon are amazing!" Ash exclaimed. Granted, Ash said that about every Pokemon, but that didn't mean he was ever lying when he said it. "So, Luna, which one do you want to use?"

Luna thought long and hard for a few moments. She could sense all the emotions these Pokemon were feeling. Treever was just hungry, so Luna didn't think it would be able to concentrate in battle. Harbotter was confident, but in a very cocky way, making Luna think it seemed a little full of itself. Lynxinge felt confident as well, but in a way more like it wouldn't be upset if it lost, which made Luna feel better given her lack of experience with battling Pokemon.

Luna knelt down in front of Lynxinge and picked it up gently. The little cat Pokemon mewed and licked Luna's nose kindly. Luna had made her decision. "I'll be using Lynxinge." She said.

"Pssh. Good luck." Luna turned to look at Team Rocket after that sarcastic comment. "We've been blasted off more than enough times to know that you don't have a fighting chance against the other twerp's Pikachu." Jessie said.

"You'd have better luck wrestling an Ursaring than winning against Pikachu's Thunderbolt." James said.

"Face it kid. Yer gonna get creamed." Meowth added.

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet concurred.

While Ash appreciated that Team Rocket had learned to recognize Pikachu's strength after all this time, he didn't feel so good about how they were talking to Luna. Then he had an idea. "Professor, would it be okay if I borrowed a Pokemon too?" He asked.

Prof. Bayberry didn't look too willing to let Ash borrow a Pokemon of his own. He had already been opposed to Luna borrowing one to begin with. "It would make the battle a bit more even, professor." Brian pointed out.

Prof. Bayberry groaned. "Very well, then. Pick away." He said grouchily.

Ash knew immediately which Pokemon he wanted. "Harbotter," he said, kneeling down in front of the little sea otter Pokemon, "You really helped me during the battle with Team Rocket. How would you like to help me out again in this battle?"

"Harb Harbotter!" Harbotter said confidently, giving Ash a thumbs-up.

Luna looked over at Ash's Pikachu. Given her experience with Clefairy's jealous tendencies, Luna believed that Pikachu would have the same reaction towards his own trainer using another Pokemon. But Luna was surprised to find that Pikachu felt nothing but happiness knowing his own trainer was going to have a fun battle, even if he couldn't be a part of it. Luna was impressed that Pikachu could be so connected with his trainer and still not feel jealous.

Ash and Luna took their positions, facing each other with their chosen Pokemon. Brian stepped up to referee. "The battle between Ash and Luna will now begin." He said. "Each trainer will be allowed the use of only one Pokemon. When one side's Pokemon is unable to battle, the battle with be over. Trainers ready?" Ash and Luna both nodded. "Okay. Battle begin!"

"I'm betting the new twerp will win." James said.

"Please. Our twerp will mop the floor with her." Jessie replied.

"But without dat Pikachu of his, our twerp hasn't got a chance." Meowth said.

"A friendly wager then?" Jessie suggested. "The loser owes the winner a five star dinner?"

James and Meowth looked at each other and grinned. "Deal." They both said, all three shaking hands on it.

Meanwhile, Ash and Luna were focused on their battle. "You can have the first move, Luna." Ash said politely.

"Right!" Luna said. "Uh, what are my Pokemon's moves again?" James and Meowth both groaned. They suddenly had the feeling they would be paying for Jessie's next meal.

Prof. Bayberry handed Luna a Pokedex of her own to check Lynxinge's moves. Luna looked them over and grinned. "Lynxinge, use Flame Burst!" She commanded.

"Lyyynxinge!" Lynxinge fired a ball of fire right at Harbotter.

"Harbotter, block it with Water Pulse, then move in for a Tackle attack!" Ash ordered. Harbotter fired a Water Pulse at the ball of fire, blowing it up, but when it charged forward to tackled Lynxinge, a small burst of flame from the explosion hit it, causing it to trip and mess up the attack.

"Flame Burst has the power to still hit a Pokemon after it already hits something." Luna said, having read that in a book once.

"Yes! Go girl twerp! Go girl twerp! Go girl twerp!" James and Meowth began chanting and dancing a pre-victory dance. Jessie groaned.

"Come on, twerp! Take it up a notch!" She yelled at Ash.

Ash hated to admit it, but Jessie was right. "Harbotter, use Aqua Jet!"

"Harbooooootter!" Harbotter cloaked itself in water and shot forward, hitting Lynxinge hard and sending it sprawling.

"Lyyynx!" Lynxnge cried as it slid backwards.

"Lynxinge! Are you okay?" Luna asked.

Lynxinge got back up. "Lynx!" It said.

"Great! Now use Bite!"

Lynxinge leapt forward at Harbotter, jaws ready to bite down on it. The attack succeeded with Lynxinge clamping down hard on Harbotter's arm.

Just like Ash wanted it to.

"Harbotter, Water Pulse!" Lynxinge was far too close to dodge and was blaster back with a powerful water attack. Lynxinge still managed to get up again, though, granted with a little difficulty.

Luna thought hard about her next move. She now knew that she couldn't get in too close to Harbotter without risking another close-range water attack. So, she decided to keep her distance instead. "Lynxinge, Flame Burst again!"

Lynxinge fired another ball of fire at Harbotter. Ash knew he couldn't block it without still getting hit, but if he was too far away to get hit… "Harbotter, use Aqua Jet to get away!

"Harbott!" Harbotter sped away from the Flame Burst, just barely dodging the second shot Flame Burst always delivered. "Now use Aqua Jet again to attack!" Harbotter used the momentum it already had to curve around and shoot towards Lynxinge at full speed.

"Dodge it, Lynxinge!" Luna said desperately. But Lynxinge had already taken too much damage. It wasn't fast enough to dodge and was thrown back by the force of Harbotter's Aqua Jet. It was over.

"Lynxinge is unable to battle!" Brian declared. "The winner is Harbotter, which means victory goes to Ash!"

"Yes!" Jessie shouted victoriously. "Creme brulee and five star steak, baby!" James and Meowth groaned. They were about to go broke buying Jessie her victory dinner.

"Yes! We did it! Harbotter, you were amazing!" Ash said happily.

"Harbotter." Harbotter said thankfully to Ash. The little Water Pokemon was exhilarated. It hardly ever got to battle while it was with Prof. Bayberry, so winning one felt so amazing. And the trainer it had battled with… Harbotter knew this trainer could help it get stronger.

Luna went over to Lynxinge to make sure it was okay. "Lynxinge, are you hurt?" She asked, terrified now that Lynxinge might hate her for getting it hurt. Lynxinge weakly opened its eyes and saw Luna standing over it with worry in her eyes. Lynxinge was touched that a trainer it had only just met already cared so much about its well being.

"Lynx…. Inge…." It said, exhausted from the battle but happy nonetheless.

Luna handed the Pokemon to Brian so he could go heal it as Ash walked up to her. "That was a great battle, Luna!" He said happily. "You were really good for your first time having one!"

Luna smiled. "Thanks, Ash!" She said. Luna looked past Ash at the Harbotter he had been using. Just before Prof. Bayberry returned it back to its Pokeball, Luna sensed one emotion rolling off Harbotter in waves: longing. Luna knew what she had to do. "Professor?" She said. "Would it be possible for one of us to keep the Pokemon we used in battle?"

Prof. Bayberry considered this for a moment. He had already expressed his unwillingness to let trainers who already had perfectly good Pokemon take another one from his lab. But, then again, he had also just witnessed these two trainers' battle, and he had seen that they both had what it takes to use these Pokemon to help them on their journey. "I suppose so." He said. "Then I take it you want to take Lynxinge?"

Luna had sensed that Lynxinge wanted to go with her, but she also knew how jealous her Clefairy got when it came to Luna having more than just her. So, she made her decision. "No." She said. "I actually was thinking Ash could take Harbotter."

Ash was touched that Luna was trying to help him gain a new Pokemon, even if that meant she wouldn't get one. He turned to the professor. "Could I really, professor? Please?" He asked, desperately wanting to hear a yes.

It was one thing for a trainer to want to have a Pokemon, but it was a whole 'nother thing when a trainer put someone else's wants and needs for a Pokemon above their own. Prof. Bayberry smiled and tossed Ash Harbotter's Pokeball. "Just promise to take good care of it." He said.

Ash's face broke out into the widest grin it could. "I will, professor!" He said. He let Harbotter out of its Pokeball. "Harbotter, would you like to travel with me and Pikachu?" Ash asked it.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu said, promising that Ash was a wonderful trainer.

"Harbotter!" Harbotter said happily, leaping up in the air in joy.

"So, I take it the two of you will be travelling together then?" Prof. Bayberry asked, referring to Ash and Luna. The two trainers looked at each other. Luna had always wanted to go on a Pokemon journey. The only thing holding her back had always been Clefairy's fear of battling. She wasn't sure if Clefairy could handle going on a journey like that.

"Clefairy?" Luna looked down as her Pokemon tugged on her skirt. "Clef Clefairy." The little Fairy Pokemon said. Luna could sense that Clefairy, while it wasn't quite ready for battling just yet, did feel like it wanted to have its own Pokemon journey too. Luna made her decision.

"Yes." She said to the professor. "Yes, we will be."

"Excellent!" Prof. Bayberry said. "Then tell me: what are your goals for this journey?"

Ash answered immediately. "I wanna enter the Zooks Pokemon League and become a Pokemon Master!" He declared.

Team Rocket collectively groaned. "How many times have we heard him say that?" James asked.

"I lose count after about 200." Meowth replied.

"The twerp's consistent, I'll give him that." Jessie remarked.

"And what about you?" Prof. Bayberry asked Luna. "What are your goals?"

"I…" Luna wasn't sure what her goals were. Clefairy was scared of battling, so entering the Pokemon League was out. Plus there was the fact that Clefairy would get extremely jealous if Luna caught another Pokemon. What did that leave her with? "I want to bond more with my Clefairy." She finally decided, as that was honestly the truest thing she would want even if she could do those other things.

"Excellent!" Prof. Bayberry said. "Ash, if you're planning to challenge the Pokemon League, I suggest heading to Gad City first. That's where the closest Gym is."

Brian returned from healing Lynxinge. "Oh! You're going to Gad City?" He said. "The Gym Leader there is a personal friend of mine. I'd be happy to take you to meet her."

"Sounds great!" Ash said. "Let's go!"

Team Rocket watched the entire conversation. They knew that, if they followed Ash, Luna, and Brian to the Gym Leader, they would be able to steal all of their Pokemon plus the Pokemon kept at the Gym. "You know what? Why don't we come with you too?" Jessie suggested, feigning innocence.

"Not so fast, you three." Prof. Bayberry said. "I have a different job for you as my new assistants. Plus there's also the matter of giving you your first CAPE to make sure you can't commit any crimes while you do your assignment." Prof. Bayberry knelt down next to Meowth. "And, while you're still here, I'd also like to run a few simple tests on your Meowth."

"Tests?!" Meowth said worriedly. "W-what kind of tests?"

"Nothing major." Prof. Bayberry replied. "Just some basic experiments to find out what special abilities you might have. I mean, you can already talk, so surely there must be something else hidden within you."

Jessie and James turned to look at each other. Meowth having special abilities of some sort? They both knew that any ability the professor might find could lead to some very exciting possibilities. Perhaps they might finally be able to snag the twerp's Pikachu!

"We' would be happy to let you run your tests!" Jessie said.

"I know I wouldn't!" Meowth whimpered.

"Yes, please, do whatever you can to find Meowth's hidden abilities!" James added.

"Do I at least get a safeword?" Meowth asked.

"Wobbu Wobbu!" Wobbuffet said, also agreeing to the tests as Meowth could tell. Meowth gulped as the professor picked him up and carried him over towards the back of the lab.

Meanwhile, Ash, Luna, Brian, and their Pokemon all set off, exiting the lab and heading towards the meadows of Route 1 again. "This is it! This is gonna be my chance to finally become a Pokemon Master!" Ash declared. "Look out Zooks region! Here I come!"

A journey has begun that will surely lead our heroes to exciting adventures and new discoveries. And we'll see it all as the journey continues.


	7. Chapter 7

_**The Weirdness of Wyrd**_

As our heroes set off down Route 1 on the way to Gad City, Ash is already getting thrilled for his first Gym battle in the Zooks region.

"This is going to be so awesome!" Ash yelled. "New region, new Gyms to battle, I'm so excited!"

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

Brian admired Ash's enthusiasm. Sure, Ash seemed to lack the ability to hold himself back emotionally, but maybe that was a good thing. Especially in this region.

Luna was also impressed with Ash. "So, what type of Pokemon does the Gad City Gym Leader use?" She asked Brian.

"Psychic types." Brian replied. "And she's pretty strong too. You'll have a hard time beating her, Ash."

"Hey, there's nothing I love more than a challenge!" Ash said. "Now, come on! Let's go!"

Ash took off running down the path through the meadows of Route 1, leaving Brian and Luna in the dust. Suddenly, Ash noticed a shadow passing overhead and stopped dead in his tracks. "Snallyyyyy!" A large, purple bird Pokemon cried as it flew overhead.

Three other Pokemon, looking more like some sort of flying, clear jellyfish floated by next to it. "Atmo Atmo Atmo Atmo." They all said in cute little voices as they floated by.

Ash broke out into a wide grin. "Wow!" He exclaimed. "What Pokemon are those?" He pulled out the steampunk Pokedex he had gotten from Prof. Bayberry and scanned the large bird Pokemon.

"Snallyghast," the Pokedex said, "the Ghostly Bird Pokemon. A Ghost and Flying type. Snallyghast are typically seen during the day. It is said that they never appear at night because they are afraid of the stars in the sky." Ash then scanned one of the three jellyfish Pokemon. "Atmospheird: the Atmospheric Pokemon. Atmospheird usually simply float around in the sky, not going in any particular direction. They rarely attack and are generally very peaceful."

"So cool!" Ash exclaimed. "Whoa! And there's another new Pokemon!"

A large wolf pup-like Pokemon was bounding towards the three of them. "Pup! Pup! Pup!" It barked as it ran.

"Is it going to attack?" Ash asked, ready to defend the others.

"No, silly. That's one of my friends." Luna replied. She pulled up the Pokedex data on it.

"Puppeela," the Pokedex said, "the Enormous Puppy Pokemon. Puppeela can be quite vicious in the wild, but, if a trainer manages to befriend one-"

The rest of the dex entry was cut short by the Puppeela pouncing on Luna, knocking her down to the ground. Luna giggled as the large wolf Pokemon began licking her face happily."If a trainer manages to befriend one, they become lifelong friends." Brian said, finishing the entry for them.

"Puppeela, stop!" Luna said happily between giggles as the large Pokemon continued to lick her face. Puppeela stopped and allowed Luna to get up. Luna could sense that this Pokemon was very happy to see her. It probably thought she was here to play with it and all the other Pokemon she had befriended in these meadows. Luna's expression turned sad when she realized this. It had never occurred to her that going on a big Pokemon journey would mean leaving the only friends she had ever had.

"Puppeela, listen," Luna said, getting down so she could be face to face with it, "I'm going to be leaving, and I'll be gone awhile."

"Puppeela?" Puppeela sounded like it didn't understand why Luna was doing this.

"It's just time for me to try and figure out what I want to do as a Pokemon trainer." Luna went on. "I promise, though, I'll come back someday real soon. Look after the others while I'm gone, won't you?"

Luna could sense that Puppeela was heartbroken over the fact that Luna would be leaving, but she also sensed a sort of inner strength she had never seen before in the big wolf pup Pokemon. An inner strength that was determined not to let her down. "Puppeela!" It said, nodding its head to say it would follow Luna's wishes. Luna hugged the Pokemon close to her.

"I'll miss you." She said. "You and all the others." And, with that, Puppeela bounded off back through the meadows.

Luna's Clefairy could tell Luna was sad to see Puppeela go. The little Fairy Pokemon hugged her leg comfortingly. "Clefairy." It said, trying to make Luna feel better.

Luna sniffled a little and smiled. "Thank you, Clefairy." She said. "I needed that."

"You and that Puppeela must have been really great friends." Brian remarked as the trio kept going down the path.

"I was friends with all the Pokemon on this route." Luna said. "Honestly, they were my only friends."

Hearing that Luna didn't have any actual human friends made Ash feel sorry for her. "Well, now you've got two new friends!" He said, trying to perk her up.

"I do?" Luna said.

"Yeah! Me and Pikachu!" Ash replied.

"I'd be happy to be your friend as well." Brian said.

Luna smiled, loving the fact that she now had actual human friends. "Thank you so much!" She said happily.

"So, what other kinds of Pokemon are out here on Route 1?" Ash asked.

"Well, let's see now…" Luna pulled up several different Pokemon on her own Pokedex. "There were Grunchlunches," she said, scrolling past a green, lizard-like Pokemon, "there were Lightweets," she scrolled past a bird Pokemon with glowing wings, "I even saw a Bigfeet one time." She scrolled past the last Pokemon which looked like a brown fuzzball with enormous feet.

Ash was ready to burst with excitement at the mention of all these new Pokemon. "Wow! These Pokemon are so cool!" But one question did run through Ash's head. "Why haven't I seen any of these Pokemon anywhere else before?" He asked.

"Actually, I can answer that." Brian said. "You see, the Zooks region has a reputation for having strange, odd, even bizarre Pokemon that live here. Whether they're odd in appearance, abilities, or other features, Zooks just seems to attract them. Many people outside of the region don't even believe that such Pokemon can exist."

"So then why does Zooks attract them?" Ash asked.

Brian smiled. "That's actually what I've been trying to study lately." He replied. "Prof. Bayberry and I believe that the reason why Zooks attracts so many odd Pokemon is because of a strange sort of energy we've been able to detect that we call _Wyrdness_."

"Wyrdness?" Ash repeated.

"Yes, Wyrdness. This strange energy force can be found throughout the entire Zooks region, and, when its in certain concentrated amounts, it can have marvelous effects on Pokemon."

"Like what?" Ash asked.

"Oh, all sorts of different things." Brian replied. "It's different for every Pokemon. Sometimes harnessing Wyrdness grants them a new, extremely powerful move. Sometimes its a new ability. And even rarer is it sometimes a new evolution."

"Wow…" Ash was completely awestruck by this fascinating discovery. That must have been what Prof. Sycamore sent his friend Clemont here to research. And, if Wyrdness truly was similar to Mega Evolution, Ash knew right away that he wanted to know how to use this strange Wyrdness energy himself. "So, how do Pokemon use Wyrdness?"

"Well," Brian said, "legend has it that, millenia ago, a large meteorite struck the Zooks region. And they say that this meteorite and the pieces collected from it have enormous amounts of Wyrdness within them. People call the fragments of the meteorite 'Wyrd Rocks.' When used correctly, Wyrd Rocks allow a trainer's Pokemon to harness their own Wyrdness energy and use it in battle."

"Wow! I so wanna get one of those Wyrd Rocks!" Ash exclaimed. "What do you think one of them would do to Pikachu? I bet he'll get a new move like Gigavolt Havoc."

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said, already getting pumped up like Ash about it.

Brian chuckled. "Well, unfortunately, Wyrd Rocks are much harder to control than Z-Moves."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, the professor's working on a device that will allow trainers to control their Wyrd Rock's powers, but, until he finishes work on it, there's no way to control them. That's why you'll see very few trainers who actually use them right now. The powers gained from using Wyrd Rocks can be very dangerous sometimes. I've heard stories of whole buildings and even small towns nearly getting obliterated because a trainer couldn't control their Pokemon's Wyrdness."

The thought of Pokemon accidentally destroying whole towns made Ash reconsider his thoughts on using Wyrd Rocks. "Wow… Whole towns?" Brian nodded.

Luna had stayed quiet throughout this whole conversation on Wyrd Rocks and Wyrdness. The idea of some strange energy in the region giving Pokemon new powers, coupled with her knowledge of her own abilities… _Was it possible?_

"Brian," she said, "can Wyrdness affect _people_ as well as Pokemon?"

"None of my research says it can so far." Brian replied. "But, then again, I was never really testing for that. Why do you ask?"

The gears in Luna's brain were turning. Could her own empathic powers be the result of this Wyrdness Brian and Ash were talking about?

And, if it was, was there a way to get rid of it?

"Just curious." Luna said with a false smile.

The three trainers kept walking. Eventually, they made it to a small hill, and just on the other side of that… "There it is, guys." Brian said as he, Ash, and Luna all looked down at the large city that stood in front of them. Ash was ecstatic. In the town, he could see a large, pointy, tower-like structure in the center, along with another smaller building that looked like a grand museum of some sort. He couldn't see the Pokemon Gym from here, but he was still super pumped.

"Welcome to Gad City."


	8. Chapter 8

_**The Ship**_

"Ugh. This is humiliating!"

"Oh, please. It's mildly embarrassing at most."

"Speak for yourself! Get this stupid thing off me!"

"Jessie, calm down. At least we're not Meowth."

Jessie, James, and Meowth were all trudging through the meadows of Route 1 heading to work on their first assignment as Prof. Bayberry's assistants. The downside of this, of course, was having to wear the professor's first piece of Criminal Activity Prevention Equipment (Or CAPE for short). The first CAPE took the form of collars around their necks that the professor warned would shock them worse than a Zapdos' Thunder attack if they tried to steal a Pokemon. Meowth, though, got the worst of the lot.

"Wait up you guys…" Meowth was walking significantly slower than his two cohorts, as, before leaving the lab, Prof. Bayberry had wanted to run a few tests on the little cat Pokemon. Tests that included poking, prodding, pricking, and a lot of intense pain for the talking Pokemon. "Ugh…" Meowth groaned as he shambled after Jessie and James. "I feel like I just ate a load of Trubbish trash…" Meowth fell over on the ground, groaning from fatigue and pain. "What's a cat gotta do to get a little bit a' help around here?!" Meowth yelled.

Jessie sighed and walked back to pick Meowth up and carry him the rest of the way. "Working for this professor better get us a lot of Pokemon." She grumbled.

"Relax, Jessie." James said. "As scientific assistants, we'll be able to get up close and personal with tons of rare and valuable Pokemon ripe for the taking! It's practically guaranteed!"

"Hooray…" Meowth groaned half-heartedly.

"Yeah, but what about these stupid collars?" Jessie grunted, trying to pull hers off. "How are they even supposed to tell when we're trying to steal Pokemon to shock us?"

"Who knows? But we'd better prepare ahead of time just in case." Meowth said, though still quite tired.

"Luckily we already have everything we need." James added. "Now, if we're going to capture any Pokemon in Gad City, we'd better do our actual assignment too just to be sure the professor doesn't fire us."

"Yeah, yeah. Steady paycheck and all that." Jessie said, tired of having to take so many side jobs over the time she'd been a part of this trio. "What _is_ our assignment anyway?"

James pulled out a slip of paper with instructions on it. "We're apparently supposed to visit the Gad City Science Museum and collect a sample from an exhibit there for the professor to analyze."

"That's it?" Jessie said indignantly. "Why couldn't he do that himself?"

"Well, Jess', you remember what he said before we left…"

 **…**

"Ow! Hey, watch where ya poke that thing!"

"Apologies, Meowth," Prof. Bayberry had said, "but I need to learn all I can about how you're able to talk. This could lead to a huge breakthrough in my research!"

"You wanna know how I can talk?" Meowth shot back. "Go fly yerself to Hollywood and stay there, you son of a- OW!"

Jessie and James hated seeing Meowth get poked and prodded every which way, so they tried distracting the professor. "Professor, if I may ask, what exactly is our first job you want us to do?" James had asked.

Prof. Bayberry left Meowth alone for a moment to speak to Jessie and James. "Well, you see," he had said, "the reason I hired you was because you three possess certain skills and talents that could be very useful to my research. Your criminal background must mean you're great at sneaking into places, grabbing what you need, and getting out without getting noticed. And occasionally, in desperate times, my research demands the use of such skills. Skills that I myself do not possess, unfortunately."

"So, basically you hired us to steal stuff for you." Jessie reasoned.

"More or less." Prof. Bayberry had said. "But only for science, not for profit or personal gain, and only when time demands it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must get back to examining your Meowth."

"You wanna examine something? Try this!" Meowth said, giving Bayberry a very rude hand gesture just before getting poked again. "OWWW!"

 **…**

"I think the professor wants us to go to the museum, not so much to get a sample, but to steal one." James reasoned. "Though why he would want us to do such a thing, I have no idea."

Team Rocket had finally made it over the big hill looking over Gad City. Jessie and James both smiled as they looked down on the town, full of rare Pokemon and items that were perfect for snatching.

"Well," Jessie said, a malicious grin on her face, "let's get to it then."

 **…**

In Gad City, our heroes, Ash, Luna, and Brian had all arrived at the Gym located in the town. Ash looked up in awe at the building. It was made of sleek, silver metal that shimmered in the sun. The Pokemon League emblem hung above the door, and just below that was painted a large green eye.

"Wow! I'm so psyched for this!" Ash said, full of confidence that he was about to walk away with his first Zooks region badge.

"What's that eye above the door for?" Luna asked.

Just then, the door to the Gym opened, and out stepped a tall woman with short, grey hair, brilliantly green eyes, and wearing a white cardigan over a blue dress walked out. "It's so I can see my challengers right when they arrive." The woman said, holding up her phone which showed live footage of all of them outside the Gym shot by the security camera hidden by the paint.

"Weis, it's good to see you again." Brian said, stepping forward to shake the Gym Leader's hand.

"Same to you, Brian." Weis replied. "I must say, the town hasn't been the same since you closed down the library and moved to become a researcher."

"Brian, you were a librarian?" Luna asked.

"When he wanted to be." Weis said with a small smile and a glint in her eye as she looked at Brian. "Of course, the library's under new ownership now, but it still isn't the same."

Brian was mildly embarrassed at these remarks. Weis always knew how to push just the right buttons to make him uncomfortable. "Yes, I used to be a librarian." He said. "But I've since moved on from that. I decided a while ago it was high time I put my mind to work doing quality research instead of simply… Hoarding books in a small library."

Ash noticed a change in Brian's tone of voice when he said that last part. Almost like he was hiding something. But Ash decided to ignore that feeling and focus on getting his first Gym Badge. He stepped forward, full of confidence and bravado. "Weis, I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town," he said, "and I'm here to challenge you to a Gym battle!"

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said, ready to throw down.

Weis eyed the young boy and his Pokemon with what seemed like amusement. "I see." She said. "And how many badges have you earned so far?"

"This will be my first one." Ash replied.

"Ooh. I'm so sorry, dear," Weis said, "but I only accept challengers who have acquired at least seven badges beforehand."

"What?!" Ash was devastated. Being so close to a Gym and not being able to challenge it was just about the worst feeling in the world to him. "Great. What do I do now?" He grumbled.

"Well, actually, there _is_ another Gym here in town." Weis pointed out. That got Ash excited again.

"There is?"

"Mm-hm." Weis nodded. "Although, I do hate to tell you this, but the Gym Leader is currently on vacation.

"Vacation?!" Ash groaned. "Well, how long will that last?"

"Indefinitely." Weis and Brian answered simultaneously. Luna found it strange that Brian knew how long the Gym Leader would be gone, but Ash was too distraught to notice such details.

"This is just perfect." Ash grumbled. "It's too late to go to the next town, and I can't challenge either of the Gyms in this city. What do we do now?"

Weis felt sorry for the poor boy, and an idea began to form in her head. "Well, you know, there _is_ another thing you three could do while you're here." Weis pointed out. "There happens to be a new exhibit in the Gad City Science Museum. It's quite interesting, if I do say so myself." She looked up at Brian. "I think you should go see it." She said, seemingly speaking to only Brian.

Brian held Weis' gaze for a moment, caught in a battle of wills, but the battle was quickly lost and he decided it might be worth it to follow her advice. "Yes." He said. "We may as well check that out."

And so, Brian, Luna, and Ash all walked to the Gad City Science Museum, though Ash walked significantly slower than the others, still grumpy about not getting his Gym battle. "So, Brian, how do you know Weis?" Luna asked.

"We worked together at the library." Brian replied.

"She was a librarian too?"

"More of a supervisor, really." Brian said. "Weis is one of the smartest, kindest people I've ever known. She's the person who made me who I am today. Though, there are reasons why I don't keep in touch with her anymore."

"Reasons?" Luna said. "Like what?"

"We just never saw eye-to-eye on certain things." Brian said simply, trying to put an end to the conversation. They had arrived at the museum anyway, though, so Luna stopped questioning. And, even if she had kept going, Brian wouldn't have been able to hear her over the crowd of protesters outside the museum.

The protesters were all walking around with picket signs that all just had a big, black X on them. And they were all chanting the same thing. "X out the weird! X out the weird!" They shouted. The protesters caught a few people's attention, though this was mostly out of confusion rather than interest.

"'X out the weird?'" Ash said. "What do you think that means?"

Brian chuckled at that comment. "In a region like Zooks, they could be protesting anything with a saying like that." He remarked. "Come on. Let's get our tickets."

Once the trio had purchased their tickets for the museum and went inside, they quickly found that there was a large crowd gathered around one of the exhibits on the second floor. "What do you think they're all looking at?" Ash wondered. The trio managed to make it through the crowd to see what they were all looking at. "Whoa…" Ash said in awe.

What the crowd was looking at appeared to be a large, futuristic-looking vessel that almost looked like it could be a spaceship of some kind. Ash spied hundreds of different flashing buttons and knobs in the cockpit of the ship, as well as a control stick meant for flying it among other neat gadgets. Ash was starting to feel like it was worth coming to this city after all.

"Wow! Is that an alien spaceship?" Ash exclaimed.

"You have a good eye, son." One of the museum's employees said. "We found this ship crashed only a couple miles from the city. We thought it was so amazing, we decided to put it on display."

"So cool!" Ash said.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed, also in awe of the spectacle.

Luna's Clefairy slowly approached the ship. "Clefairy?" It said

Luna noticed her Pokemon staring at the ship. "What is it Clefairy?" She asked. Luna sensed Clefairy's emotions at the sight of the ship.

It was… Sad. Almost like it was missing something. Luna wondered why Clefairy would be feeling such a thing. She and Ash were so spellbound by their Pokemon and the ship respectively that they didn't notice that Brian wasn't standing there with them. They also missed the three disguised thieves sneaking back around the corner.

"The twerps are here too?" Jessie said. "This might just be our lucky night."

"Indeed." James agreed. "We can make off with a sample from that ship for the professor, and get Pikachu to boot!"

"Why just take a sample?" Jessie said, a wicked idea forming in her head. "Something that rare's gotta be worth something! We can just take the whole ship, give Bayberry a teeny tiny piece of it, and sell the rest for a fortune!"

"Team Rocket can blast off with so much profiting tonight!" James said.

"We can't even lose! This plan is airtight!" Jessie added. They both waited for a moment. "Meowth!"

"Uggggh…" Meowth groaned, still exhausted. "Meowth, that's right…" He said.

Wobbusffet suddenly popped out of his Pokeball. "Wobbuffet!" It said quite loudly. Jessie and James quickly shut Wobbuffet up, made sure nobody had noticed him, then they rushed out of the museum to put their plan in action.

Just then, Brian returned to the exhibit. "Brian, where were you?" Luna asked.

"I just had to use the bathroom." Brian said simply. "Get a load of that ship! Where do you think it's from?"

"I bet it's from Mars." Ash said. "Everyone knows all aliens are from Mars."

"What?" Brian said, laughing a little. "That's not true at all."

"Sure it is!" Ash insisted. "In every movie about aliens I've seen, they're always from Mars! And they're all green and say things like 'Take me to your leader.'"

"But, Ash, there are thousands of other planets in the universe where aliens could come from." Brian said. "Venus, Mercury, even planets outside our solar system. This ship could have come from anywhere."

"Hmm..." Ash considered this, but just shrugged. "Nah. Pretty sure it's from Mars." He said.

While Ash and Brian debated the origin of the ship and where aliens could come from, they failed to notice the loud stomping noises coming from outside. "Guys?" Luna said. "I think something's about to-"

CRASH!

A gigantic robotic hand smashed through the wall behind the alien ship, sending the museum patrons sprawling. The hand grabbed the ship and pulled it outside. "What was that?" Ash groaned, getting up to see what had just happened. But, before he could look, a net fired through the newly-created hole in the wall, grabbing Pikachu and pulling him outside as well. "Pikachu!" Ash yelled, desperately trying to save his partner. Suddenly, he heard the laughter of three familiar-sounding voices. "Who's out there?!"

"Prepare for trouble, you twerpish bafoon!"

"And make it double, we've got Pikachu!"

"To protect the world from devastation…"

"To unite all people within our nation…"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love…"

"To extend our reach to the stars above…"

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off with your Pokemon in tow!"

"So surrender now, 'cause we've got to go!"

"Meowth, you know!"

"Wobbuffet!"

Anger boiled in Ash's chest as he looked out the hole in the museum wall to see a gigantic Meowth mecha with a net attached to the index finger of one of its hands and the alien ship clutched tightly in the other hand. "Team Rocket!" He yelled. "Let Pikachu go!" There was a long pause. Team Rocket didn't respond. "Didn't you hear me? I said let Pikachu go!"

Another long pause, but this one was followed by an answer. "I'm sorry, are you saying something?" James' voice came from the Meowth mecha. "We can't hear you! We had to completely soundproof and visionproof the mecha this time! Can't hear or see out of it! Didn't want to take the chance of getting shocked by these darn collars!"

"Collars?" Ash's confusion was quickly replaced by more rage. "Well, you may not be able to see or hear me, but hopefully you'll feel this!" Ash drew a Pokeball from his belt. "Harbotter, use Water Pulse!"

Brian threw his own ball as well. "Illumini, Charge Beam! Let's go!"

Both of their Pokemon came out and fired their attacks. They landed direct hits right on the Meowth mecha's head, which was easy to do given that Team Rocket couldn't see the attacks coming. "Did we just get hit?" Jessie asked as she felt a tremor run throughout the mecha from the attack.

"Let me check." Meowth, who was the one at the controls as always, checked a computer screen that showed a diagram of the mecha with a red dot blinking on the spot they got hit. "Yep. We took a poundin', all right. Lucky this baby's got some poundin' power of its own!" Meowth pressed a button, which caused the coin on the head of the Meowth mecha to start to glow. "Any attack we get hit with, we can dish the same power right- Uggggh…"

Before Meowth could fire the attack, the fatigue he had been feeling all day after the experiments hit him hard. He slouched over, but James was ready to press the button instead. The Meowth mecha's coin sparked with energy, then fired a beam of pure power straight at the museum, sending Ash, Brian, and their Pokemon sprawling.

"Meowth, are you sure you can handle piloting this thing?" James asked.

Meowth shook his head to fight the exhaustion. "I'm good. I'm fine." He said. "Got no… Problems…" Clearly Meowth was still exhausted, but James knew it was no use fighting the little cat Pokemon on the matter. A beeping sound came from the computer screen Meowth had been looking at. "Picking up two more Pokemon out there to grab!" He said happily. The beeping picked up. "Wait! Make that three!"

The third Pokemon Meowth had detected was Luna's Clefairy as it and Luna tried desperately to get Ash and Brian to get up after that blast. Harbotter and Illumini were also both down for the count. "Come on, you guys! You have to get up now!" Luna said, shaking Ash.

"Clef! Clefairy!" Clefairy said, shaking Brian.

"Nnngh… What happened?"Ash groaned as he came to.

"Did anyone get the license plate of the truck that just hit me?" Brian said, still a bit dazed, but fortunately awake now.

Unfortunately, though, the battle wasn't over yet. Three more nets fired from the Meowth mecha's other fingers, grabbing Harbotter, Illumini, and Clefairy. "Clefairy, no!" Luna yelled.

"Clefairy! Clef Clef!" Her Clefairy cried. It was already scared of getting caught up in a Pokemon battle, and being captured in the middle of one only made the poor Fairy Pokemon even more frightened. "Clefairy! Clef! Clefairy!"

"Looks like we got them all!" Jessie said victoriously.

"Then it's time to make with our getaway!" James declared.

"Powering turbo thrusters now!" Meowth said.

The Meowth mecha started to rumble as the rocket boosters in its feet began to activate. "No! We can't let them get away!" Ash shouted.

"Someone! Anyone! Help us!" Luna yelled desperately.

"Clef! Clef! Clef! Clef!" Luna's Clefairy kept crying. Suddenly, Clefairy began glowing pink. It's voice started getting louder, sending out wave after wave of pink sonic waves. "CLEF! CLEF! CLEF! CLEF!" The little Fairy Pokemon kept crying, not even aware that it was doing something remarkable. "CLEEEEEEEEEFFFFFF!"

Team Rocket jumped, having actually heard that noise. "Was that a noise from outside?" Jessie asked. "I thought we soundproofed this thing!" Suddenly, the trio's CAPE collars started beeping. Hearing Clefairy's cries of distress was activating them. "Uh-oh…" Jessie whimpered.

"I think we know what sets off the collars now." James said, completely terrified.

The three Pokemon thieves all screamed as they were each suddenly shocked with enough electricity to paralyze a Rhyhorn. The three of them spasmed as they were electrocuted, which caused Meowth to accidentally bump the button he had pushed to activate the rocket boosters again. Two pushes of the button supercharged the boosters to the point that they self-destructed. The captured Pokemon were all blown free from their nets and flew right back towards their trainers.

"Clefairy!" Luna caught the little Fairy Pokemon as it flew towards her. "That was amazing! Your voice got all loud and there were those pink waves! What was that?"

"I think Clefairy just learned the move Disarming Voice." Brian said.

"Yay! That's incredible!" Luna exclaimed, hugging her Pokemon close. It was strange, but Luna could actually feel pride and confidence rolling off Clefairy in waves, not unlike the ones from that Disarming Voice attack. Could Clefairy be proud that it had taken down Team Rocket? And what did that mean regarding its fear of Pokemon battles?

While Luna wondered those things, Team Rocket crawled out of the wreckage of their mecha, all of them still smoldering from the shock collars. Jessie had to drag Meowth out, as the poor cat Pokemon had been knocked unconscious from the electricity combined with the fatigue he had already been feeling. "You know, I would have thought we'd be used to getting electrocuted by now…" Jessie groaned. Suddenly, the sound of police sirens filled the air. "Cops!" Jessie yelled. "We've gotta run!"

"But we still need a sample for the professor!" James said.

"Errrgh! Fine!" Jessie got up and ran over to the alien ship, which had landed with the Meowth mecha's blown-off arm nearby. She reached into the cockpit and ripped out the control stick. "Think this'll do?" She asked.

"Good enough!" James replied.

And, with that, Team Rocket ran out of there as quick as they could. "We're off with a new blast!" They yelled as they ran.

Officer Jenny arrived on the scene with a squad of policemen soon after Team Rocket had fled. She questioned everyone about the events that had happened at the museum that night and investigated around the museum to see if she could pick up Team Rocket's trail. "Well, this is really odd." She said, coming back from investigating. "You three said that the criminals used a giant robot to smash through the wall and grab the ship, right?"

"Yes, ma'am." Ash replied.

"Hmm…" Officer Jenny seemed deep in thought about something.

"What is it, Officer Jenny?" Luna asked.

"I just don't get it…" Officer Jenny said. "If the criminals were just going to smash through the wall, why did they deactivate the museum's security system as well?"

"The security system was off?" Brian asked.

"Yes. Though I honestly have no clue why they did it." Officer Jenny replied.

"Maybe they just decided to change their evil plan in the middle of it." Ash suggested.

"That could be it…" Officer Jenny said, still not sounding sure. "I'll have to keep investigating, but you three can go home. Have a great night."

And so, Ash, Luna, and Brian left the Gad City Science Museum. "It's pretty weird that Team Rocket deactivated the security system when they were just going to smash through the wall." Brian said.

"Well, those three aren't exactly the smoothest criminals." Ash said. "It's like I said. Maybe they just changed their plan."

"So, do you two need me to escort you back to Cosmodrop Town?" Brian asked.

"No thanks." Luna said. "It's too late to head back. I was thinking we could just stay at the Pokemon Center for the night."

"Oh, thank Arceus you said that!" Brian said, full of relief. "I'm way too tired to walk all the way back. Let's all go get some rooms for the night."

And so, our heroes headed for the Pokemon Center to get some much needed rest after a full day. But, as they slept later that night, a group of thieves were making their way back to their secret base.

"Unbelievable."

"What?"

"All that time we wasted knocking out the museum's security system, and the thing we needed was left out on their back lawn. Seems like a waste of resources."

"Well, we still got the ship. Espeon, put it in here."

"Espee."

A particularly powerful Espeon carried the alien ship from the museum into a secret vault using the move Psychic. It gently set it down, and one of the two thieves shut the vault. These thieves were not Team Rocket. They were dressed differently, for starters, wearing blue and green hooded cloaks and masks that covered their eyes. They were also different from Team Rocket in the fact that they were smarter, more cunning, and more driven to achieve their goal.

"The biggest secrets of the Zooks region shall be kept, all thanks to Team Myst."


	9. Chapter 9

_**The Jinx On You**_

"Errrrrgh! Come on! This is just plain ridiculous!"

"I can barely move my stupid feet in these things!"

"Uggggh! I can't go on! Leave me behind, my friends! Go on without me!"

"Oh, stop being so overdramatic, James!"

Jessie, James, and Meowth were all on their way back from Prof. Bayberry's lab, where they had last night delivered a research sample of the alien ship from the Gad City Science Museum. Prof. Bayberry had rewarded them well, but had also whipped up a new CAPE for the trio to wear.

"While it's good you were able to escape this one time, the issue of you three still being able to run away after such a big electrical shock presents a problem." Prof. Bayberry had said, "I suppose I'll just have to think of a method to prevent you three from escaping should you commit a crime."

And so, the professor had given Team Rocket three pairs of extremely heavy boots to wear. The trio had been walking for hours and had only just barely made it out of Cosmodrop Town and onto Route 1, having to drag their now-heavy feet with maximum effort just to get that far.

"I'm beginnin' to think that workin' for dis professor might not be the best idea no more." Meowth said grouchily as he tried to lift his foot to take a step.

"Come now, old chum. We need a steady paycheck if we're supposed to pay for our evil equipment." James said. "Speaking of which, I managed to use our paycheck for collecting that sample to get our old balloon fixed up. Look."

James pulled out a remote control and pressed the button on it. From Cosmodrop Town, the official Team Rocket Meowth balloon came flying towards them, ready to pick them up. James expected applause and praise. What he got were Jessie's hands clenched tightly around his throat.

"We've been trying to walk in these cruddy boots all morning when we could have flown?!" She roared angrily.

"Well, I wanted the balloon to be a surprise." James said meekly.

"Yeah? How's dis for a surprise?" Meowth extended his claws, ready to start Fury Swiping James' face.

While James was suffering at the hands of his not-so-thankful teammates, Ash came downstairs for breakfast in the Gad City Pokemon Center only to find that everyone, including his two new friends, Luna and Brian, had their eyes glued to a TV monitor. "Hey, what are you guys-"

"Shh!" Several people shushed him. Ash came around to look at the monitor. On it was a news report.

"Local police are still trying to find the whereabouts of the stolen exhibit piece from the Gad City Science Museum that was taken last night." The news reporter said.

"Someone stole the alien ship?" Ash asked.

"Shh!" Was the only response he was given.

A picture popped up next to the news reporter's head, showing a group of people wearing blue and green hooded cloaks as well as masks to cover their faces. Ash had a feeling that this picture showcased yet another evil team of people like he had encountered in regions before. "Police suspect the theft was carried out by the criminal organization known as Team Myst." The news reporter said. "This group of bandits has been known throughout the Zooks region for countless thefts and even acts of terrorism. We advise anyone in the Gad City area to remain calm, but stay alert. And now the weather."

"Team Myst?" Ash said, hoping not to get shushed this time. "Who are they?"

"They're a group of really nasty criminals." Luna replied. "They go around and steal things that are extremely valuable, and no one knows the reason why they steal them to begin with! Plus they used a bunch of Voltorb to bomb the Pokemon League tournament last year."

"They what?!"

Brian stood up. "The police were never able to trace the Voltorb bombing back to Team Myst." He said. "Though they do seem like the most likely suspects."

"Either way, they've still stolen a bunch of stuff!" Luna shot back.

"Clef! Clefairy!" Her Clefairy agreed.

"Yes, I suppose that is true." Brian said.

"They don't steal Pokemon, do they?" Ash asked. He had seen plenty of evil Pokemon thief organizations over the course of his journey, and he was ready to fight as hard as he could to take another one down.

"Well, actually, they've never stolen Pokemon before." Brian said. "They really only stick to rare, valuable objects. But we shouldn't need to worry about them for now. It's time we got started on the next leg of our journey!"

"All right!" Ash exclaimed excitedly. "We're heading to the town with the next closest Gym, right?"

"That's right." Brian said. He pulled out one of Prof. Bayberry's usual steampunk-looking devices, this one appearing to be similar to a PokeNav. "And it looks like that town is Willowcreep City!"

"Well, let's go then!" Ash said, all pumped up to get his first Zooks region Pokemon badge. The trio of friends left the Pokemon Center together after a nice, healthy breakfast and set off towards Willowcreep City. "I can't believe we're this close to getting our first badge, buddy!" Ash said to Pikachu. "You ready for a Gym battle?"

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said, its cheeks sparking with enthusiasm.

"You know, Ash, the Zooks region Gyms aren't anything to be taken lightly." Brian said. "You may want to spend some time catching more powerful Pokemon before going to take one of them on."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Ash admitted. Fortunately, Route 2 was made up of wide open fields with plenty of tall grass: perfect conditions for finding new Pokemon.

"Curser." Ash stopped in his tracks. He could have sworn he had just heard a new Pokemon. He looked around until he spotted it: a black, furry-looking caterpillar with bright red eyes. "Curserpillar." It said in a gruff voice.

"Whoa… What Pokemon is that?" Ash wondered aloud. He checked his Pokedex for the information.

"Curserpillar," it said, "the Bad Omen Pokemon. A Bug and Dark type. When Curserpillars cross their path, trainers are often afraid of it because of the bad luck that follows in its wake."

"Heh. Well, I'm not worried about that." Ash said, pulling out a Pokeball, ready to catch Curserpillar. "Pikachu, you're up! Use-"

"Ash, wait!" Ash turned around to see that Luna and Brian were both cowering in fear and had actually both backed up quite a bit to put distance between them and the Curserpillar. "Curserpillars are extremely dangerous!" Luna said.

"Really?" Ash said. "Dangerous how?"

"Legend has it that, if a Curserpillar attacks you, you'll be cursed with bad luck forever unless you can catch it." Brian said.

Ash grinned. "Then I shouldn't have anything to worry about!" He said confidently. "Because I'm definitely gonna catch it! Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"

"Pika!" Pikachu rushed forward to attack the Curserpillar, but the little Bug Pokemon leapt up into the air with an unusual amount of athletic ability for a Pokemon.

"Curse!" It said, shooting a String Shot attack, not at Pikachu, but at Ash.

"Augh! I'm hit! I'm hit! I can't see!" Ash yelled as he tried to pull the sticky webbing off his face.

"It attacked Ash!" Luna exclaimed worriedly.

"Which means he'll be cursed forever unless he catches it!" Brian added.

Ash stumbled around, trying to get his eyes back on the battle with the Sting Shot still covering his face. "Pikachu, Electroweb!" He commanded. "Don't let it get-"

Unfortunately, since Ash couldn't see, he accidentally stepped on Pikachu's tail. "CHUUUUUU!" The little mouse Pokemon cried as its instincts made its body erupt with electricity, electrocuting Ash in the process. "Pikachu." Pikachu said, apologizing to Ash for shocking him as he rubbed his sore tail.

"Aaah… It's okay, Pikachu." Ash said, though he was in quite a bit of pain. "I just need to get this String Shot off my face and then we can catch that Curserpillar."

"Uh, Ash?"

"Yeah, Luna?"

"Curserpillar's gone."

"What?!" In the short amount of time Ash had spent struggling with the String Shot on his face, the Curserpillar that had fired it had fled.

"We'd better get moving to find it." Brian said. "You definitely don't wanna get cursed forever right before your first Gym battle."

"Come on, you guys. I'm not cursed." Ash said.

"Well, you did step on Pikachu's tail." Luna pointed out. "And got electrocuted."

"That's just because I can't see." Ash reasoned. "Come on. Help me get this String Shot off my face."

Luna and Brian came over to try and help Ash pull the String Shot off his face, but, in doing so, none of them noticed the spherical capsule lowering down to scoop up Pikachu. "Pika?" Pikachu said as it noticed the capsule. Suddenly, it trapped Pikachu inside of it and was hoisted up into the air. "Pikaaaaa!" Pikachu cried out.

"Pikachu?! Are you okay, buddy?" Ash asked worriedly. The sound of three evildoers chuckling filled the air. "All right, who's there?" Ash demanded.

"Prepare for trouble. Should we tell him at all?"

"Make it double. It's time for roll call!"

"To protect the world from devastation…"

"To unite all people within our nation…"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love…"

"To extend our reach to the stars above…"

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobuffett!"

"Team Rocket! I knew it had to be you three!" Ash exclaimed. The evil trio was floating up above in their hot air balloon, and Pikachu was up with them, trapped in an electricity-proof capsule. Fortunately, Ash knew a way to defeat Team Rocket quickly to get him back. "Luna, tell Clefairy to use Disarming Voice!"

"Right! Clefairy?"

Luna's Clefairy knew what to do. It cried out, sending pink waves of sound directly at Team Rocket. Unfortunately, they didn't get electrocuted like last time. "Sorry, twerp! That trick won't work this time!" Jessie said tauntingly. "We don't have those shock collars on anymore."

"Um, pardon me for asking," Brian said, "but why is your balloon floating so close to the ground?"

It was true. Thanks to Team Rocket's new CAPE, their balloon was extremely weighed down. They were barely high enough to float over our heroes' heads. "You can thank the nutty professor for that one." Meowth grumbled.

"But, no matter how low we're floating, we've still got Pikachu!" James said.

"Ta-ta, twerps!" Jessie taunted as the balloon began floating away.

"Get back here, you three!" Ash yelled, giving chase to the evil trio. There was just one problem.

"Ash! Wait!" Luna yelled as she and Brian ran after him. "You still can't see!"

"I don't care!" Ash said as he ran up a nearby hill, chasing blindly after Team Rocket. "I've gotta save Pikachu no matter what it TAAAAAAAAKES! WHOA!" At the top of the hill, Ash had tripped over a rock and began tumbling down towards a river below. Evidently, he was still feeling the effects of the Curserpillar's curse.

Ash fell in the river and struggled to stay afloat as the water carried him quickly downstream. Fortunately, the water also allowed him to peel off the String Shot attached to his face much more easily. "Phew. Finally got that off." He said. "Now to just swim for the shore and then I can- AAAAAAAH!"

Ash looked downriver to see that a Pokemon he had never seen before that looked like a shark with tentacles instead of fins was speeding towards him, jaws open and ready to gobble him up.

"Hang on, Ash! We're coming!" Luna called to him. "Let me see if that Pokemon has any weaknesses." Luna checked her Pokedex for the shark-squid Pokemon's entry.

"Luscuid," the Pokedex said, "the Shark Squid Pokemon. This Pokemon uses its many tentacles to trap prey so that it can devour it with its powerful jaws."

"Guys! Help!" Ash cried out as he tried swimming away from the Luscuid. But it was no use. The current was too strong and was pulling him towards the Pokemon.

Brian drew a Pokeball from his belt. "Illumini, use Confusion to get Ash out of there!" He threw the Pokeball and his little triangle Pokemon popped out of it. Its eye glowed blue as it quickly hoisted Ash out of the rushing river just before the Luscuid could chomp down on him.

Illumini psychically carried Ash over and set him down in front of Brian and Luna. Ash smiled. "Guess I'm not completely cursed, at least." He chuckled, glad to be alive. But there was still the matter of rescuing Pikachu, and, after Ash fell in the river, Team Rocket's balloon had since gotten out of sight. "Oh, man… Maybe I am." Ash groaned. He stood up and called for his partner. "Pikachu!"

A little ways down the road on Route 2, Team Rocket set their balloon down to celebrate finally catching Pikachu successfully. "We got him! We got him! We finally got Pikachu!" Jessie, James, and Meowth danced happily after finally accomplishing their lifelong goal of stealing Ash's Pikachu.

"We just have to make sure he stays safe in this container until we can ship him to the boss." James said, taking Pikachu's capsule out of the balloon and setting it on the ground.

"Finally, after all this time, I'll finally be able to take dat stupid Persian's spot on the boss' lap!" Meowth said happily.

"And we'll also be able to show his toad secretary that we're the best Team Rocket has to offer!" Jessie said. "I can't believe how lucky we are! That twerp couldn't see a thing with that String Shot all over his face."

"Speaking of which, how do you suppose that happened?" James wondered aloud.

"Curserpillar." Team Rocket turned in surprise to see a black, furry, red-eyed caterpillar inching its way across the grassy fields of Route 2 a few feet away from their balloon. "Curser. Curserpillar." It said in its gruff voice as it kept moving along.

"What Pokemon is that?" Jessie asked.

"Let me check my guidebook." James said. He pulled out his book and flipped to the page with Curserpillar on it. "Hmm. Looks like it's a Curserpillar!"

"Curserpillar, eh?" Jessie said, a wicked plan forming in her head. "A Pokemon with a name like that's gotta be pretty strong. We might as well catch another Pokemon to send along to the boss. Meowth, attack it with Fury Swipes!"

Meowth ran forward, or at least moved as quickly as he could in his heavy shoes, to attack Curserpillar. Fortunately, the shoes slowed him down enough to allow Curserpillar to counter him by leaping up and over him. "Whoa! Dat's one agile insect!" Meowth exclaimed.

"Curserpill!" Curserpillar fired a String Shot attack, not at Meowth, but directly in Jessie's face.

"EEEUGH!" Jessie screamed. "It hit me in the face! Someone get this stuff off of me!" Jessie stumbled around, trying to get the String Shot off her face. Unfortunately, her stumbling took her towards Pikachu's containment capsule.

"Jessie, wait! Stop!" James yelled. But it was too late. Jessie brought her foot in the professor's heavy shoes down, smashing the containment capsule under the weight of them and setting Pikachu free.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said happily, thanking Curserpillar for its help.

"Curse. Curserpillar?" Curserpillar said, wondering who Team Rocket were.

"Pikachu! Pika Pi!" Pikachu explained, saying that the trio were a group of evil Pokemon thieves.

"Curserpillar." Curserpillar growled.

"Oh, boy…" Meowth said worriedly. "It looks like Curserpillar's gonna give Pikachu a hand in battlin' us."

"Whatever! We can take them!" Jessie declared, not realizing the disadvantage they were at after she had gotten hit by Curserpillar. "Wobbuffet, you're up!"

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet stepped forward and struck its usual pose, ready for battle.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu rushed forward, its tail glowing for an Iron Tail attack.

"Pikachu's using Iron Tail!" James pointed out for Jessie, who still couldn't see.

"Great! Wobbuffet, Counter!"

Wobbuffet began powering up that move, but it was stopped in the middle of it by Curserpillar tying it up with a String Shot attack. "Wobbu Wobbu!" Wobbuffet said worriedly just as it was struck by Pikachu's Iron Tail, knocking it back into Team Rocket and sending them to the ground.

"Pika!" Pikachu's cheeks began sparking. Team Rocket prepared for their usual blast-off, but Curserpillar stopped Pikachu from attacking.

"Curserpillar." It said, evidently having a better idea. "Curserpill!" From beneath Curserpillar, a swarm of black specks sped towards Team Rocket.

"Oh, no! It's usin' Infestation!" Meowth cried out. Team Rocket all yelled repeatedly in pain as the tiny black specks bit and stung them repeatedly, allowing Pikachu and Curserpillar to get away.

 **…**

"Boy, it sure was lucky we got away from those Beedrill."

"Easy for you to say. You weren't the one they were going after."

It had been a hard day for Ash. After getting rescued from the river, he had been hit with a Bewear's Hammer Arm, bitten by an Electrike's Thunder Fang, and stung by a Beedrill's Twineedle. And, after all that pain and suffering, he still hadn't found Pikachu. "Pikachu!" Ash called out, hoping his buddy would hear him. "Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Ash broke out into a huge grin as he saw his buddy, Pikachu, running down the path of Route 2 towards him. And not far behind him was the Curserpillar who had rescued him.

"Pikachu!" Ash laughed happily as his Pokemon jumped up into his arms. "I'm so happy you're safe, buddy!" He said. "How'd you get away from Team Rocket?"

"Curse." Ash looked down and saw Curserpillar on the ground in front of him.

"You helped save Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Curserpillar." Curserpillar replied proudly.

"Wow! Thank you so much!"

"Ash, isn't that the same Curserpillar that cursed you?" Luna asked.

Ash got down to give Curserpillar a closer look. "Yeah, I think it is." He responded.

"You know, you still have to catch it if you wanna lift that curse." Brian pointed out.

"Curserpillar!" Ash looked in surprise to see that Curserpillar wasn't running away or attacking. In fact, it seemed perfectly willing to be caught by Ash.

"Luna, can you tell what emotions it's feeling right now?" Ash asked.

Luna looked down at Curserpillar. When she sensed what it was feeling, she smiled. "It seems Curserpillar feels like it has a real bond with Pikachu now." Luna said happily. "I guess helping him get away from Team Rocket made them both friends."

"Pika Pika." Pikachu said, happy to have a new friend.

"Curserpillar." Curserpillar responded, also happy.

Ash pulled out a Pokeball. "Well, what do you say then, Curserpillar?" He asked the little Bug Pokemon. "Do you wanna travel with me and Pikachu?"

"Curse." Curserpillar responded by bumping the Pokeball's button with its nose, opening it and sucking the little Bug Pokemon inside. It dinged almost instantly, confirming capture.

"All right!" Ash exclaimed happily. "I caught a Curserpillar!"

"Looks like you'll be going into your first Gym battle curse-free." Brian said. He checked his steampunky PokeNav. "And you're in luck! Willowcreep City is just down the road this way! We should make it there well before nightfall."

"Well, let's get moving then!" Ash said. "It's time for me to win my first badge in the Zooks region!"

Ash and the rest of our heroes are now back on track to making it to Willowcreep City and Ash's first Gym battle. But what's happening with the villains of our story?

"I can't believe you didn't see that tree there…"

"I had String Shot on my face! What made you think I could pilot the balloon?"

Jessie, James, and Meowth had crashed their balloon and were now being forced to continue onward on foot once again, which unfortunately meant they had to walk more in their incredibly heavy CAPE shoes. "Maybe the balloon is still salvageable." James said hopefully. Behind them, the balloon exploded in a huge burst of flame. "Or maybe not…"

"Ugh. I feel like we're cursed, or something." Jessie groaned.

"Let's face it. This is pretty much just our normal luck." Meowth said. Team Rocket collectively groaned as they kept trudging on, trying their hardest to walk in their extremely heavy shoes.

"We're off with a new blast…"


	10. Chapter 10

_**Wildness In The Willowcreep Woods**_

"Yes! We made it!"

"Pikachu!"

Our heroes have finally made it to Willowcreep City: the site of Ash's first Gym battle in the Zooks region. Just as the sun was starting to go down, Ash made his way to the Willowcreep Gym. There was only one problem.

"Closed?! Augh!"

Brian looked at the sign on the Gym's door. "Yep. Looks like we just missed the Gym Leader." He said. "They should be back tomorrow though."

"But I wanna have a Gym battle now!" Ash whined.

"Pika Pi." Pikachu said, patting Ash's cheek comfortingly..

"Don't worry, Ash." Luna said. "Tomorrow you'll beat that Gym Leader for sure!"

"I wouldn't count on that, lil' miss."

Luna, Ash, and Brian all looked around for the voice that said that. "Who said that?" Ash wondered aloud.

"Down here, kiddos." Ash, Luna, and Brian all looked down to see a very tiny man, only about three feet tall at most with a grey beard almost as long as his body and a red flannel shirt and overalls on standing behind them all.

"Whoa!" Ash exclaimed in awe. "You've gotta be the smallest man I've ever seen!"

"Ash!" Brian said. "That's not a very nice thing to point out."

But the small man only chuckled. "Don't worry 'bout it, fella." He said. "I take it as a compliment. Name's Hugo. What can I help you kids with?"

"Well, I was hoping to have my first Zooks region Gym battle today." Ash replied. "What did you mean that you wouldn't count on me having one tomorrow either."

"Well, it's just that the Gym will be closed tomorrow too."

"What?!" Ash exclaimed. "Oh, man! Why?!"

"Well, it's on account of the Big Festival, don'tcha know?" Hugo replied. "The whole town's been preparing for it all week long! Haven't you seen the decorations everywhere?" Ash, Luna, and Brian took a quick look around themselves, and sure enough there were decorations put up almost everywhere. Colorful lights were strung up across the streets, booths for various games had been erected down one road that appeared to be the midway, and there was even a half-constructed ferris wheel next to the Pokemon Center.

"Wow. This festival really _is_ big." Ash said.

"Well, they don't call it the Big Festival for nothin', sport!" Hugo said. "See, this festival is to honor the three Legendary Giant Pokemon of the Zooks region."

"Legendary Giant Pokemon?" Ash asked.

"Yessiree!" Hugo said happily. "There's three Legendary Giants here in Zooks: Foresquatch, the Forest Giant Pokemon, Swampunk, the Water Giant Pokemon, and Evereti, the Mountain Giant Pokemon. 'Course, the Big Festival is meant to mainly honor the Giant that protects the woods around this city, and that's Froesquatch."

Ash still had a few questions about these three Giant Pokemon, but Brian seemed to know exactly what Hugo was talking about. "Oh, of course! I forgot that Foresquatch is rumored to live in the Willowcreep Woods." He said.

"Ain't no rumor, fella. Heck, I've actually met Foresquatch myself." Hugo bragged.

"You did?!" Brian said in awe.

Hugo nodded proudly. "Yessiree. He's the one who introduced me to my favorite Pokemon." Hugo drew a Pokeball from his belt and tossed it in the air. "Bigfeet, come on out!"

From the Pokeball, a large fuzzball, almost as big as Hugo himself, that also had a pair of gigantic feet appeared. "Bigfeet Big!" It said.

"Wow! That's so cool!" Ash said. He pulled out his Pokedex and scanned the Pokemon with it.

"Bigfeet," the Pokedex said, "the Feet Pokemon. A Normal type. Bigfeet is said to be a distant relative to the Legendary Giant Pokemon. While it's small in stature, its feet are quite large and are incredibly strong."

"Bigfeet." Bigfeet said, proud to hear its feet mentioned in the entry.

"Yep, this lil' fella's my pride and joy!" Hugo said proudly, wrapping his arm around Bigfeet. "He's actually getting pretty close to evolving too!"

"Wow. Really?" Ash said.

Hugo nodded. "Yep. Now, if you younguns will excuse me, I have to go finish helping with setting up for the festival tomorrow." He pointed to the half-constructed ferris wheel. "The builders who were gonna put together that ferris wheel had to bail at the last second. Lazy good-for-nothings. So, I gotta put it together all by myself before tomorrow. Gonna take me all night."

Ash, Brian, and Luna all eyed the ferris wheel and together came up with an idea. "Well, we can certainly help you out if you want, Hugo." Brian said. "I've actually read several books about mechanical engineering."

"Yeah, and my friend Clemont taught me a bunch of stuff about building things." Ash added.

"I don't really know that much about building a ferris wheel, but I'm sure Clefairy and I can help in some way." Luna said.

"Clefairy!" Clefairy agreed happily.

Hugo was beaming at the three kind youngsters. "You three have really touched this old man's heart." He said. "All right! You can help me! Now, let's get to work!"

As our heroes set out to work on the ferris wheel for the Big Festival, our villains were nearby doing something else. "Ugh! These stupid shoes!" Jessie groaned angrily as she, James, and Meowth all trekked through the nearby Willowcreep Woods, still being forced to wear the heavy shoe CAPEs that Prof. Bayberry had given them. "Can't we just take them off? They're slowing us down way too much!"

"I wish we could, but Prof. Bayberry put locks on them, remember?" James replied.

"Aw, come on! Are we professional thieves or not?" Meowth exclaimed. "Let's just pick the locks!" Jessie and James both looked at the ground, avoiding eye contact with Meowth. "Er… You two _do_ know how to pick locks, don'tcha?"

"Well, as it happens, I sort of… Slept through the lockpicking class at the Team Rocket training facility." James said sheepishly.

"And I had a hair appointment during it." Jessie said. "I may be a thief, but I'm not an animal. Gotta keep my hair looking tip-top if I wanna get ahead."

Meowth groaned. "Fine. I'll do it myself." He said. He extended the claw on one of his fingers and stuck it into the lock on one of his shoes. "A little to the left, a little to the right, and there we- AAAAAAH!" Meowth pulled his now-broken claw out of the lock, having snapped it during the picking process. "Man, that smarts!" He said, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Ugh! Forget picking the locks! Let's just get back to work!" Jessie said. "What are we supposed to be doing, again?"

James pulled out the note that Prof. Bayberry had sent them with their job instructions on it. "According to the professor, we're supposed to search these woods until we find the Legendary Giant Pokemon that lives in them." He said. "All we have to do is collect a hair sample from it for the professor to analyze."

"Oh, that's all?" Jessie said sarcastically. "If this Pokemon really is legendary, how are we supposed to find it? Don't Legendary Pokemon tend to stay hidden?"

"She's got a point, James." Meowth concurred.

James thought for a moment, then sighed. "I suppose we just keep walking through these woods until we find it." The trio groaned and kept stomping through the woods in their heavy shoes.

Even in the distance, the stomping noises coming from Team Rocket's CAPE shoes could be heard. At one end of the Willowcreep Woods, there was a troop of fearsome-looking monkey Pokemon. They all had black fur and incredibly sharp fangs and claws. One of the monkeys got a wonderfully wicked idea regarding the stomping noises and went to the troop's leader, an even fiercer-looking giant ape with sharp bottom and top fangs that poked out from its mouth and muscles that bulged and rippled with incredible strength. "Monkee Monkevil!" The little monkey Pokemon told the troop's leader. "Monkevil! Monk Monk!"

The leader considered this idea. Attacking whatever was making those loud stomping noises would certainly be fun. It was settled. "SABAAAAAAAAAAAY!" The leader called out to the rest of the troop. The monkey Pokemon all started laughing and cheering as they began leaping through the trees towards the source of the stomping.

And, at the other end of the woods, another large Pokemon was making its way towards the source of the stomping. It sensed a great darkness descending upon the source of that stomping, and it would not rest until that darkness was snuffed out.

While all these Pokemon were making their way towards our villains, Team Rocket was still stomping through the Willowcreep Woods, trying to find Foresquatch. "We're never going to find this stupid Pokemon!" Jessie exclaimed angrily.

"Jessie, relax." James said. "We'll find it eventually." James' stomach growled. "Er… Though, perhaps a break could do us good." He said. The trio all sat down to eat a late dinner. James pulled out a snack he had been saving for quite a while.

"What is that?" Jessie asked, pointing at the square of candy-filled chocolate James was about to eat.

"It's something called Mystery Fudge." James explained. "A true delicacy of the Zooks region! It's supposed to taste incredible, so I've been saving it ever since we left Cosmodrop Town. Now, down the hatch!" James tried to take a bite of his block of fudge, only for it to be swiped from his hand by a swinging Pokemon. "My fudge! My precious fudge!" James exclaimed. "Who took it?"

"Kee! Kee! Kee! Kee!" Jessie, James, and Meowth looked around. In the trees surrounding them, there was a veritable army of the scary-looking monkey Pokemon that had set off after them before.

"W-w-what are dose things?" Meowth whimpered.

"Let me check." James pulled out his guidebook and flipped through the pages until he had found it. "It appears that these Pokemon are called Monkevil. A Dark type. They're very vicious and will often attack anyone who enters their territory, often resorting to ripping them to shreds. Hmm."

There was a small pause as those words sank in. Then, collectively, Team Rocket screamed. "RIPPING THEM TO SHREDS?!" They yelled in terror. The Monkevils then leapt down upon the trio, biting, scratching, and doing whatever they could to cause Team Rocket harm.

"Ow! Ow! Ouch! Wobbuffet, help us out!" Jessie said, calling out Wobbuffett.

"Wobbu Wobbu!" Wobbuffet said, only for it to be attacked by the Monkevils as well. "WOBBUUUUUUU!" It cried out.

"Meowth, old chum! Use your Fury Swipes to attack them!" James said, trying to pry one Monekevil off of his head.

"Kinda dealin' with my own thing over here, James!" Meowth said, struggling under the weight of a Monkevil dogpile on top of him.

James finally pried the Monkevil that was attacking him off of his head. "Forget battling them! RUN!" He and Jessie took off running. Jessie returned Wobbuffet to its ball and James yanked Meowth out from under the dogpile, and the three of them all high-tailed it out of there as fast as their weighted-down feet could take them, with the Monkevil pack close on their tails. "If we can make it to the edge of the forest, we should be able to-"

But James was interrupted by the large, ape-like leader of the Monkevils jumping down and landing in front of the trio. It beat its chest strongly and yelled "SABATANIIIIIC!"

"Uh, James?" Jessie whimpered. "What Pokemon is that?"

James flipped through his guidebook to find the entry. "It's a Sabatanic." He said. "The evolved form of Monkevil and a Dark and Fighting type. Apparently, this fierce Pokemon is known to…" James suddenly grew very pale and frightened. He gulped. "Is known to devour its victims whole, ensuring that they meet a very painful demise." He finished timidly.

Jessie, James, and Meowth all started slowly backing away from the Sabatanic, only to be faced with the Monkevil pack behind them. "So, this is it." Meowth whimpered. "The end of Team Rocket, torn to pieces at the hands of a bunch of monkeys."

"Group hug while we're being slaughtered?" James suggested. The trio all hugged each other tightly, sobbing in terror as the Monkevils and the Sabatanic leader leapt down upon them.

Suddenly, a loud roar ripped through the air and a large, green-glowing vine came, hitting all of the monkey Pokemon and knocking them down to the ground. "What was that?!" Jessie exclaimed. The trio looked up to see an extremely-large Pokemon with shaggy, green fur, muscular legs and arms, and two red eyes approaching them slowly. The green-glowing vine that had Power Whipped the monkeys retracted into its shoulder as it stood protectively over Team Rocket and roared again.

The Monkevils all scattered, evidently terrified of this gigantic beast, but their Sabatanic leader simply stood up and roared courageously at the new Pokemon. "Sabataaaaaan!" It yelled as it leapt up, trying to hit the big, green Pokemon with Brutal Swing. However, the green Pokemon caught its fist in midair. The Sabatanic immediately knew it had made a huge mistake.

The green Pokemon roared and threw the Sabatanic into a tree. It then opened its mouth, firing a barrage of exploding seeds at it. The Sabatanic cried out as it was bombarded by this Seed Bomb attack. "Sabaaaaay!" It yelled.

Finally, the green Pokemon was done attacking. The Sabatanic lay on the ground, barely conscious and panting hard from the barrage of attacks it had just endured. Suddenly, Jessie got an evil glint in her eye as an idea formed in her head. She stood up and drew a Pokeball from her belt. "Seems to me like this would be a wasted opportunity if someone didn't take advantage of it." She purred wickedly. "Pokeball, go!" Jessie threw her Pokeball at the severely-weakened Sabatanic. It sucked the ape Pokemon inside then wobbled once, twice, three times… Ding! "Yes!" Jessie ran forward to retrieve her newly-captured Pokemon.

"You caught the Sabatanic?" James said in shock.

"But it nearly tore us to shreds!" Meowth argued.

"Yes, and just imagine what it could do to the twerps' Pokemon next time we run into them." Jessie said, smiling wickedly. Two more evil smiles grew on James and Meowth's faces.

"Well done, then, Jessie!" James cheered.

"Yeah! Great job!" Meowth agreed.

Before they could run over to hug their teammate in congratulations, the big, green Pokemon that had protected them walked over to Jessie and bent down to look her in the eye. It seemed to be saying be careful with that new Pokemon. The large, green Pokemon then stood back up, plucked a single hair from its head for some reason, handed it to Jessie, and lumbered off back into the deep, dark, Willowcreep Woods. "What was that for?" Jessie wondered aloud.

"Let me see what kind of Pokemon that was." James said, checking his guidebook. Suddenly, he let out a shriek of surprise. "That Pokemon was Foresquatch!" He exclaimed.

"Wait, really?!" Jessie asked. "Why didn't I throw my Pokeball at it instead then?!"

"Seems we kinda got a wasted opportunity after all." Meowth grumbled.

"But how did it know we needed a hair sample from it for the professor?" Jessie asked, examining the single green hair in her hand.

"It says here that supposedly Foresquatch knows about everything that goes on in the forest it lives in." James said, reading from the guidebook. "I suppose it must have known about our mission in the same way it knew we were being attacked."

"Well, we'd better send dat hair sample to the professor." Meowth said. "And, Jessie, next time you huck a Pokeball at something, try and huck it at da Legendary first." That comment was met with a Pokeball hucked at Meowth's head.

Meanwhile, back in Willowcreep City, our heroes were putting the finishing touches on the ferris wheel. "Okay, let's see if it works." Brian said. He flipped the switch on the ferris wheel's control console. It turned on and began spinning around slowly just like any good ferris wheel should. "Yes! It works!"

"I couldn't'a finished this without you three's help." Hugo said. "I am very much in your debt." The very tiny man began walking away, but stopped and turned back to face the trio. "Oh, and Ash? Just because I say I'm in your debt, doesn't mean I'll go easy on you in our Gym battle."

Ash was surprised to say the least. "You mean… _You're_ the Gym Leader?!" He exclaimed.

Hugo chuckled. "Yep. Sorry for not telling you before, youngster." He said. "And I'm also sorry I won't be able to battle you today or tomorrow. Gotta respect the Legendary Giants, after all.

Ash smiled. Finally, he had accepted the fact that he wouldn't be able to battle Hugo until later. "That's okay, Hugo." He said. "But, day after tomorrow, I'll be coming at you with everything I've got!"

Hugo smiled under his long, bushy beard. "Wouldn't have it any other way, kid. Ta-ta!" And, with that, the Willowcreep City Gym Leader left.

"You're sure you're okay with not being able to battle Hugo yet?" Luna asked Ash.

"Yep." Ash replied. "Besides, the Big Festival is tomorrow, and that's definitely going to be a lot of fun!"

"I'm sure it will." Brian said. "Why don't we grab some rooms at the Pokemon Center and take the rest of the night off?"

Ash shook his head no. "We can get rooms, but there's no way I'm taking tonight off yet!" He said confidently. "I've got some training to do! You ready, buddy?"

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said excitedly. Ash ran into the Pokemon Center and Brian and Luna watched him go.

"He certainly is passionate." Brian said. "Do you think he can actually win his Gym battle?"

Luna nodded. "Of course." She replied. Luna had felt a fiery energy coming off of Ash's Pikachu all day. The anticipation of an upcoming Gym battle was making Ash's Pokemon excited, and Luna knew that that level of confidence would definitely help them win.

"Clefairy." Luna looked down as her Clefairy tugged on her skirt. "Clef Clefairy." It said.

Luna giggled. She could sense that her Pokemon was feeling very tired after a long day of hard work. "Of course. Let's go get some rest." Luna walked into the Pokemon Center and went to the front counter to request a room, but, through the sliding glass doors in the back of the Center, she could see Ash with all three of his Pokemon training out on the Pokemon Center's battlefield. She smiled as she felt wave after wave of that same fiery energy coming off of, not just Pikachu, but Ash's Harbotter and Curserpillar too.

"Clefairy." Luna looked down and saw Clefairy watching Ash train with awe in its eyes. It was strange, but, for a second there, Luna thought she could sense that same fiery energy coming off of Clefairy. But, just as quick as she had felt the feeling, it had disappeared. Luna smiled. Something interesting was going on, and she had a feeling that Ash's Gym battle might just have a very surprising outcome for Luna herself. What could that outcome be? We'll find out as the journey continues.


	11. Chapter 11

_**The Big Festival**_

"Dang it, kid! Get away from my booth! You're ruining me! If you keep playing, my family's gonna starve!"

Ash was saddened by what this man was saying, but he was on a serious winning streak here. All that time spent throwing Pokeballs all throughout his journey has given our hero everything he needed to utterly destroy the milk bottle game at the Big Festival in Willowcreep City. Ash had knocked down those milk bottles at least a good 20 times, and he was determined to keep going until every prize in that booth was his. He slammed one more game ticket on the counter and said "One more, please!" The carny groaned and handed Ash the ball. Ash lobbed it at the stack of milk bottles and knocked them all down in one shot. The carny sighed and handed Ash a gigantic stuffed Croconaw toy.

"Ash, maybe we should go do something else." Luna suggested. She had a point. After all, the Big Festival abounded with fun rides, other interesting games, and even a couple of battlefields where trainers could pit their Pokemon against each other for prizes. Plus Luna and Brian were both extremely weighed down with a bounty of stuffed toys and their arms were getting tired.

But Ash's competitive spirit was unquenchable. He slammed another ticket on the counter. "Let's go again!" He said. The carny, now dead in the eyes, handed Ash another ball. But, before Ash could throw…

"Hee hee hee! You really got an arm on you, don'tcha, boy?"

Ash turned and saw a very tiny man walking up to him. "Hugo! Hey!" Ash said happily. "Yeah, I've been winning all night."

"Well, let's hope that winning streak will also translate to battling." Hugo said, a glint of whimsy in his eye.

"Are… Are you saying you want to have our Gym battle now?" Ash asked. This evening was about to get even better, though not in the way Ash was hoping.

Hugo shook his head. "Nope." He replied. "Sorry, boy-oh. The Gym stays closed till tomorrow just like I said, but you three all helped me make the Big Festival happen, so I thought I'd give you this hot tip.." Hugo leaned in real close and whispered. "Be at the battlefields in an hour. And good luck, kiddo." And, with that, he left.

"What do you think is going to happen at the battlefields?" Brian asked Ash and Luna. Luna wasn't sure what could be going on, but, at the mere mention of battlefields, she could feel wave after wave of nervous energy rolling off her Clefairy. This is what happened any time anyone brought up battling around the scared little Fairy Pokemon, but something was different this time. Clefairy's nervous feeling felt strange. Luna couldn't tell what it was, but something was going on with her Clefairy. Hopefully she'd find out at whatever was happening at the battlefields.

"Well, whatever it is, we've got an hour before it starts." Luna said. "What should we do to pass the time?"

That question was answered by the sound of toppling milk bottles and the sigh of the carny as he handed another stuffed toy to Ash. Ash slapped another ticket on the counter. "Let's go again!" He said excitedly.

One hour and many stuffed toys later, Ash, Luna, and Brian all arrived at the battlefields set up near the edge of the festival grounds. A crowd had already gathered and they were all murmuring with excitement. "This is so cool!" Ash heard the boy next to him say. This boy had curly, brown hair, glasses, and a set of big buck teeth as well, but he also looked pumped up for battle.

"What's going on here?" Ash asked the boy.

"A big battle competition!" The boy replied. "And rumor has it the prize is something amazing! Are you going to enter it?"

"You bet!" Ash replied. "It's nice to meet you, by the way. I'm Ash, and this is my partner Pikachu."

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said, introducing himself to the boy.

"I'm Luna." Luna said. "And this is Clefairy."

"Clefairy."

"And my name's Brian." Brian said.

"Nice to meet you all!" The boy said. "My name's Chuck!" Chuck turned to Luna and Brian. "Are you guys going to enter the tournament too?"

"Um, no thanks." Luna replied. "I'm not really much of a battler."

"Me neither." Brian said. "I'm actually trying to be a Pokemon researcher."

Before their conversation could continue any further, spotlights lit up on the battlefield in front of the crowd, showing Hugo standing in the center of it. "Attention all you whippersnappers!" He said loudly. "We'll be holding a battling tournament here like we do every year at the Big Festival to honor the Legendary Giant Pokemon. But this year's going to be a little bit different because our prize for the winner is something I'm sure everyone would be glad to get their hands on." Hugo reached into his pocket and pulled out a rock. It was dark blue with flecks of silver, looking almost like the night sky itself. The rock seemed to shimmer with some sort of strange energy, and everyone was in awe at the sight of it. "Yep!" Hugo went on. "The prize for the tournament this year is an honest-to-Arceus real Wyrd Rock!" The crowd erupted in cheers. Everyone wanted a Wyrd Rock.

"Now to win this here Rock, y'all are gonna have to get through each other!" Hugo went on. "We'll be starting the tournament shortly, so get on over here and sign up if you wanna compete!" Hugo was then mobbed by a whole bunch of people who wanted to get their hands on that Wyrd Rock, including Ash and the boy he had just met named Chuck.

"This is gonna be awesome!" Ash said to Brian and Luna once he was all signed up. "Me and Pikachu are definitely gonna get that Rock!" Ash still remembered what Brian had said about Wyrd Rocks. About how much power they could give a Pokemon and trainer in battle. But he also remembered how dangerous he had said they could be. Suddenly, and for the first time all night, Ash didn't feel his competitive spirit rising. Did he really want to win this tournament?

"The first battle is… Ash vs Lyle!"

It was too late now. Ash was already in the tournament. "Guys, I'm just wondering…" Ash said. "Should I even try to win? I mean, if Wyrd Rocks are as dangerous as Brian said-"

"Ash, don't worry about that." Brian said comfortingly. "Prof. Bayberry's invention to control the power of Wyrd Rocks should be ready soon. Besides, you've been on fire all night!" Brian put a hand on Ash's shoulder. "Go win." He said simply with a smile.

Ash grinned. "Yeah. Okay! I'll do it!" He said. "Just one thing real quick." He pulled out two Pokeballs and let out the Pokemon kept within them. Ash's Harbotter and Curserpillar looked up at him.

"They believe in you too, Ash." Luna said, sensing the Pokemons' emotions.

Ash's smile grew. "Great! Cheer me on, guys!"

"Harbotter!" Harbotter said with a thumbs-up.

"Curse Curserpillar." Curserpillar replied gruffly, agreeing to cheer for its trainer.

Ash took his position on the battlefield. "Pikachu, let's go!" He said.

"Pika!" Pikachu leapt off Ash's shoulder and took to the field.

Their first battle was won easily, as were their second and third battles. Ash's competitive spirit was back as he dominated the competition. Eventually, he made it to the final round. "The final battle of the night is between Ash and Chuck!" Hugo announced. "Good luck to both of ya!"

Ash and Pikachu took the field. Ash had been so focused on his own battling, he hadn't seen what Chuck could do as a trainer. Still, he wasn't too worried. "So, Chuck, tell me: are you planning on challenging Hugo after this too?" Ash asked.

"Actually…" Chuck pulled out a badge case and opened it to reveal a badge in the shape of a large, brown, humanoid figure inside of it. "I already beat him yesterday." Chuck bragged.

Ash grinned. If he could beat Chuck, that meant he could beat Hugo. "All right, trainers," Hugo said, "battle begin!"

"Pikachu, let's go!" Ash said. Pikachu leapt from his shoulder again.

"Pika Pika!" The little mouse Pokemon said confidently.

Chuck pulled out a Pokeball and threw it in the air. "Treever, you're up!"

A green-furred beaver Pokemon Ash remembered seeing at Prof. Bayberry's lab before came out of the ball. "Treever Tree!" It squeaked.

"Uh-oh." Brian said to Luna on the sidelines. "Ash might be in trouble."

"Why's that?" Luna asked.

"Treever's a Grass type." Brian explained. "Meaning Pikachu's Electric attacks won't be very effective. And if this Treever is a high enough level, it could know a move that could mean Ash's defeat in this battle."

Ash wasn't worried, though. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" He ordered. Pikachu rushed forward to try and hit Treever.

"Treever, Bullet Seed!" Chuck commanded. Treever shot forth a barrage of seeds at Pikachu.

"Zig-zag, Pikachu! Don't let him hit you!" Pikachu zigged and zagged all down the battlefield, managing to get close enough to tackle Treever with the full brunt of a Quick Attack. "Now use Thunderbolt!"

Chuck grinned. Just the moment he'd been waiting for. "Treever, Mud Sport!"

Treever whipped its tail around, shooting mud all over the battlefield and Pikachu. "There it is!" Brian said. "Mud Sport!"

"What does that do?" Luna asked.

"It reduces the power of Electric attacks by a lot." Brian explains. "And with Ash already at a disadvantage… I'm not sure if he'll be able to win this one."

Pikachu wiped the mud off its face and shot forth the Thunderbolt Ash had ordered, but, with the type disadvantage against Treever paired with the Mud Sport, Treever took the hit and looked like it barely felt anything. "Tree!" It said confidently.

Luna was worried. She was certain Pikachu would be feeling nervous since he was at such a disadvantage now, but the only emotion she felt right now was wave after wave of excitement for a thrilling battle. She could tell that same emotion was radiating off Ash too, even if she couldn't sense his emotions like she could for Pokemon. The strange thing was that that excited feeling was coming from another source, but Luna couldn't tell where with so many people and Pokemon watching the battle.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail on the mud!" Ash said.

Pikachu knew what Ash wanted it to do. "Pika Pi!" It yelled as it flipped up and brought its glowing tail down hard on the mud, shooting it all over. Some of the mud hit Treever in the eyes, blinding the little beaver Pokemon.

"Treever, get that mud off before he attacks again!" Chuck said worriedly. But Ash was already making his move.

"Now use Iron Tail on Treever!" Pikachu rushed forward. Treever got the mud out of its eyes just in time for it to see a glowing tail inches from its face before it got hit hard. Treever fell back, dazed but not down yet.

"Come on, Treever! Get up!" Chuck pleaded.

"Treeee…" Treever said weakly as it tried to get up. Ash grinned. Time to end this.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Go!"

Pikachu leapt up in the air, its cheeks sparking as it powered itself up for its signature move. "Piiiikachuuuuuuuu!" It yelled as it let loose with the attack. Even though the power of its Thunderbolt was weakened by Mud Sport, it was just enough to get the job done.

"Treever is unable to battle!" Hugo declared. "The winner is Pikachu, which means victory goes to Ash!"

The crowd cheered. Ash ran out on to the muddy battlefield and hugged his partner close. "We did it, buddy!" He said happily. "All because of you!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said happily as well.

Chuck walked forward to shake Ash's hand. "Wow! You're some kind of trainer!" He said, clearly impressed with Ash's skill. "Congrats on winning, but I hope you know you've just made a new rival."

Ash grinned. "I definitely know." He said. "I'm gonna look forward to battling you again."

Chuck smiled. "Same. You'd better win against Hugo, because I definitely want to see you when I make it to the Zooks League."

"I'll see you there." Ash said. And, with that, Chuck left. Hugo came on to the field to present Ash with his prize.

"Here you go, Ash! A genuine Wyrd Rock! All yours!" He leaned in close. "Knew you could do it, kiddo!" He whispered.

Ash smiled. "Thanks, Hugo." He replied. "I'll see you tomorrow for our Gym challenge."

"I'm countin' on it!" Hugo said happily.

The crowd dispersed after the battle, and Ash went back to his friends. "Congratulations on winning!" Luna said. It was strange. She could still feel that excitement for a good battle even after the battle was over. And it wasn't coming from Pikachu any more.

"Clefairy." Luna looked down to see her Clefairy congratulating Pikacbhu. "Clefairy Fairy." It said.

"Pika Pika?" Pikachu said, a curious expression on its face.

"Clefairy!" Clefairy said enthusiastically.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said with equal enthusiasm. Luna couldn't tell what the two Pokemon were saying, but she did know now where that excitement for a good battle was coming from, and she was curious if that feeling would stick around tomorrow.

"You battled well, Ash!" Brian declared. "But you may have also made a terrible mistake."

"A mistake?" Ash asked. "What do you mean?"

"Hugo was the one refereeing every battle tonight." Brian explained. "He's seen you and Pikachu's whole battling style, and now he can use that information to prepare for tomorrow."

Ash's brow furrowed in thought, but he quickly lightened up. "Good thing I've got two other Pokemon to use tomorrow too!" He said. "You guys up for it?"

"Harbotter Ott!" Harbotter cheered, already pumped up.

"Curserpillar." Curserpillar said, keeping its cool, but still saying it was ready.

"Plus we've got a Wyrd Rock now to use against him!" Ash said, holding the glittering blue and silver rock up high. "Here, Pikachu. Let's see what kind of new power it'll give you."

Ash handed the Wyrd Rock to Pikachu. Nothing happened for a moment. "Pika?" Pikachu said, confused as to why it wasn't having an effect. But then something incredible but also terrible began to happen. Pikachu started glowing. It's body began changing. "Pika Pi! Pika- Goro! Goro Gor!" Pikachu's voice began changing as well, but it was packed with worry.

"Pikachu, no!" Ash yelled, taking the Wyrd Rock as quickly as he could away from Pikachu. Pikachu's body began to quickly revert back to what it was originally. Both Pikachu and Ash were relieved. "That was a close one, buddy." Ash said. "I can't believe you just almost evolved."

"Yeah, but what was he evolving into?" Brian said curiously.

"He started saying 'Goro' instead of 'Pika.'" Luna pointed out. "What could that mean?"

Our heroes were left wondering what the Wyrd Rock almost turned Pikachu into. Will they ever find out what new form awaited Pikachu had it held on to the Wyrd Rock? We'll find out as the journey continues.


	12. Chapter 12

_**The Big Challenge**_

It's the morning after the Big Festival of Willowcreep City, and Brian is just waking up. _Today's the day_ , he thought, _today I see what Ash brings to the table as a Gym challenger._

Brian exited his room in the Pokemon Center and went to Ash's. He knocked on the door. "Ash? You up?" No answer. He opened the door to find that Ash wasn't even in the room. "Wonder where he could be." Brian said aloud.

Brian went down to the lobby of the Pokemon to have a cup of tea. As he sipped his drink, he found his mind drifting with thoughts of Ash's coming Gym battle and whether or not Ash could stand up to Brian's old friend, Weis, back in Gad City. And, more importantly, whether or not he could stand up to the retired Gym Leader from the same town.

Sure, when everyone asked, Weis would tell them that the other Gym Leader was just on vacation, but Brian knew she knew the truth. Or at least he thought she knew. That Gym Leader was done with accepting challenges for good. He was out travelling, getting to know his Pokemon better.

All except for the one he left behind.

Brian knew that Gym Leader thought about his lone Pokemon a lot, the one he had to leave back at the Gym, but there was a good reason for that, even if the Pokemon didn't believe it.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail! And, Harbotter, Aqua Jet!"

Brian's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Ash's voice. It was coming from the battlefield in the yard behind the Pokemon Center. Brian went out the door just in time to see Ash training by himself as his Pikachu and Harbotter's attacks clashed with each other, knocking both Pokemon back. "Great job, you guys!" Ash said, not noticing Brian. "Now, Harbotter, use Water Pulse, and, Pikachu, dodge it!"

Brian smiled. Ash really showed a lot of heart. Training early in the morning for his Gym battle with Hugo. Most trainers would have just slept in and gone into that battle unprepared and with a lot of undeserved overconfidence. But not Ash. Ash trained hard, and he was going to earn that Gym badge today.

"Oh, hey, Brian!" Ash had finally noticed his friend standing there.

"I see you're training well for your battle today." Brian said. "You excited?"

"Definitely!" Ash replied. "Me and my Pokemon are gonna win that battle for sure! Right, guys?" Ash's three Pokemon all responded enthusiastically. "Okay, now, Pikachu, switch with Curserpillar and let's keep going!"

Brian watched Ash train his Pokemon. Eventually, Luna and her Clefairy had woken up and came out to join them. "Ash seems really excited for his Gym battle today." She remarked.

"Yep." Brian replied as they both watched Ash train. "He's definitely something else when it comes to this sort of thing."

Luna stayed quiet for a while after that. She appeared to be focused on her Clefairy watching Ash train. "Brian," Luna said, "can I ask you something in private?"

"Uh, sure." Brian and Luna went back inside the Pokemon Center. Oddly enough, Clefairy didn't even notice they had left.

"It's about Clefairy." Luna said. "Lately, ever since Ash came and saved her and me on Route 1, I've been noticing… Changes in her emotions."

"Oh?" Brian said. "Like what?"

"Just a lot of little things." Luna said. "Like how she reacts to watching battles now. Before we met Ash, Clefairy wouldn't even go near a Pokemon battle, much less fight in one, but now… Well, look at her out there. She hasn't even noticed we left."

Brian didn't need to be a Pokemon empath to notice that. "I guess that is strange." He said. "But maybe it's a good thing."

"How so?"

"Luna, when you left Prof. Bayberry's lab, he asked you what your biggest goal was for this journey, right?" Luna nodded. "And you said you wanted to bond more with your Clefairy, right?" Luna nodded again. "I think that there's a way for you and Clefairy to bond more as trainer and Pokemon, and I think Clefairy's close to realizing that too. Ash is just giving her the push she needs to allow you to do the thing that helps you bond with her."

"And what is that thing, exactly?" Luna asked.

Brian smiled. "I think Ash's Gym battle will show you that." He said cryptically.

Before Luna could ask any more questions, Ash came in with his Pokemon and Clefairy. "All right! We're gonna rest up real quick, then head straight to the Gym!" He said. "You guys ready?"

"Pika!" Pikachu replied excitedly.

"Harbotter!" Harbotter said with near-equal enthusiasm.

"Curse. Curserpillar." Curserpillar said, keeping its cool, though Luna could still feel wave after wave of excitement for battle rolling off the little worm Pokemon.

But that wasn't the only source of excitement. "Clefairy!" Luna's Clefairy said. Luna was surprised to see her Clefairy so pumped up to watch a battle. She was starting to realize what Brian meant. This Gym battle wouldn't just determine Ash's future in the Zooks Pokemon League. It might also determine Luna's.

The trio went to the Gym as soon as Ash's Pokemon were all rested up from their training session. "I'm here, Hugo!" Ash declared as he walked into the Gym. They stepped out to the battlefield: a simple field that was just a large rectangle of earth with bleachers set up for supporters and fans. The tiny Gym Leader, Hugo, was already at his end of the battlefield.

"Heh. I've been waitin' for ya, you young whippersnapper!" He said. "And I ain't going down easy! I may be small, but me and my Pokemons' spirit is just about as tall as the great Giant, Foresquatch, himself! I ain't gonna just roll over and let you have this badge! You've gotta earn it!"

Ash grinned. "I will!" He stepped up to his place on the battlefield. The referee took his place in the middle, and Luna and Brian took a seat in the bleachers. Luna kept her eye on her Clefairy, determined to find out what her Pokemon was feeling during this battle.

"The battle between Hugo the Willowcreep City Gym Leader and Ash the challenger will now begin." The referee said. "Each trainer will have the use of three Pokemon, and only the challenger may make substitutions during the battle. When one trainer's Pokemon are unable to battle, the battle will be over. Trainers ready?" Both Ash and Hugo nodded. "Then battle begin!"

"Curserpillar, I choose you!" Ash said, throwing out his first Pokemon.

Curserpillar appeared from its Pokeball completely ready for battle. "Curse!" It said gruffly.

"A Curserpillar, eh?" Hugo said. "Then Munchlax, you're up!" Hugo threw out his Pokeball, and from it appeared a Munchlax.

"Munchlax!" The hungry little Pokemon said happily.

"A Munchlax?" Luna said aloud. She scanned it with her Pokedex.

"Munchlax," the Pokedex said, "the Big Eater Pokemon. A Normal type. This Pokemon eats its own weight in food every day. It eats and eats and eats, but rarely ever feels full."

"Judging by the use of this Munchlax and the Bigfeet we've already seen him with, I'd say Hugo is a master of Normal types." Brian said.

"Right you are, Brian!" Hugo said. "Normal types are my specialty! And, when it comes to my Pokemon, the bigger the better I always say! Ash, you can have the first move."

"Thanks, Hugo." Ash said. "Curserpillar, Infestation!"

"Cuuuuurser!" Curserpillar let loose a swarm of little, black specks that converged on Munchlax immediately.

"Munchlax, Defense Curl!" Hugo ordered. Munchlax curled up into a ball as it was attacked by the specks Curserpillar had sent out. This increase in Defense made it seem as if it was completely unbothered by the specks at all. "Now use Chip Away!"

"Munchlax!" Munchlax rushed forward to try and attack Curserpillar, but the little worm Pokemon's oddly extreme agility helped it dodge the strikes.

"Curserpillar, try and slow him down with String Shot!" Ash ordered. Curserpillar fired a string of sticky web right at Munchlax's feet, stopping it in its tracks.

"Munch?" Munchlax said worriedly.

"Now use Tackle!" Curserpillar rushed forward, hitting Munchlax hard in the gut and sending it flying backwards.

"Muuuuunch." Munchlax said in a daze as it got back up. It was already running low on energy.

"Hmm. That Curserpillar of yours is a mighty powerful one," Hugo said, "but let's see that little worm stand up to this! Munchlax, Odor Sleuth!"

Munchlax began sniffing the ground until it had identified Ash's Curserpillar. "Why would Hugo use such a useless move?" Luna asked. "His Pokemon won't last much longer. He should be attacking."

"Oh, he will." Brian said darkly. He had a feeling what was coming next.

"All right! Curserpillar, finish this up with a Tackle attack!" Ash commanded.

"Curse!" Curserpillar sped forward, ready to end this battle.

"Heh. I don't think so." Hugo said. "Munchlax, Last Resort!"

"What?!" Ash could only watch as Munchlax summoned a large star-shaped energy blast and hurled it at Curserpillar. The little worm Pokemon was already too close to avoid it. There was an explosion as it got hit that sent wind whipping at everyone in the Gym. When the dust cleared, Curserpillar was down for the count.

"Curserpillar is unable to battle! The winner is Munchlax!" The referee declared.

"Wow… That's a really powerful move." Luna said in awe.

"And it was executed perfectly." Brian said. "Last Resort can only be used once a Pokemon uses all its other moves in battle. And, by using Odor Sleuth last, Hugo ensured that Munchlax would have perfect aim at Curserpillar when it used it."

"Wow. Ash may be in trouble." Luna said worriedly.

But Ash wasn't worried. He was proud Curserpillar put up such a good fight. He returned it to its Pokeball and said "Good job, Curserpillar. Now take a good rest." He drew his second Pokeball from his belt. "Harbotter, you're up!"

Harbotter popped out of its Pokeball primed for battle. "Haaaaarbotter!" It roared, ready to take its opponent down.

"Harbotter, use Water Pulse!" Ash commanded. Harbotter summoned up a ball of aquatic energy and hurled it at Munchlax.

"Dodge, Munchlax, then use Last Resort!"

"Uh-oh." Brian said. "Now that Munchlax has already used all of its moves, it's free to use Last Resort as much as it wants. Ash might just be finished."

Munchlax weaved past the Water Pulse and hurled another star-shaped blast at Harbotter, but Ash was ready for this. "Aqua Jet, let's go!" Harbotter surrounded itself in a veil of water and rushed underneath the blast to hit Munchlax hard and fast, ending the battle in one shot.

"Munchlax is unable to battle!" The referee declared. "The winner is Harbotter!"

"Wow! That was pretty impressive using all that speed from Aqua Jet to dodge the attack." Luna said.

"Clefairy Fair!" Luna looked at her Clefairy. "Clefairy! Clefairy! Clefairy!" The little Fairy Pokemon was chanting, and Luna sensed how excited it was to see Harbotter win. But more than that, did Clefairy want to… Join the battle?

"Munchlax, return." Hugo returned Munchlax to its ball. "You take a nice, long rest there, buddy." He drew another ball from his belt and threw it. "Puppeela, I choose you!"

Hugo's next Pokemon was a large dog. "Puppeeeeeel!" The Pokemon howled. Luna was suddenly reminded of her Puppeela friend in the meadows of Route 1. She was happy to see another of its kind, but still wanted Ash to win.

"Okay, here we go, Harbotter!" Ash said. "You ready?"

"Harbott!"

"Kay. Then use Water Pulse!" Harbotter fired forth another ball of aquatic energy.

"Dodge it and use Howl!" Puppeela rushed to the side with incredible speed, dodging the Water Pulse and howling loudly, causing it to be surrounded by a bright red aura.

"Puppeela just raised its Attack power!" Brian said.

"Now, Puppeela, use Bite!" Puppeela rushed forward, jaws glowing bright, ready to strike, but Ash had an idea.

"Let it in close, Harbotter!" Ash said. Harbotter didn't move, braving the attack like no other Pokemon could. Puppeela brought its jaws down hard on its arm. "Haaaaaarb!" Harbotter cried out. Ash felt bad for the poor Pokemon, but he knew it would enjoy this. "Now use Water Pulse!" With its jaws already locked on Harbotter's arm, Puppeela was blasted backwards from a critical blow from Water Pulse, causing it a lot of damage. But Harbotter was struggling in this battle too after that powerful Bite attack.

"Puppeela, you okay?" Hugo asked.

"Pup!" The large dog Pokemon barked.

"Great! Then use Tackle!"

"Puppeela!" Puppeela charged forward, ready to strike Harbotter head on.

"Harbotter, use Aqua Jet!" Ash commanded.

"Haaaaarbott!" Harbotter charged forward, clashing with Puppeela in a battle of strength. A battle that Harbotter was determined to win. "HARBOTTER!" It pushed forward with enough power to knock Puppeela back clear across the field and into the back wall. The large dog Pokemon was down for the count.

"Puppeela is unable to battle! Harbotter is the winner!" The referee declared.

Hugo returned his Pokemon to its ball. "That was some powerful stuff, kiddo!" He complimented Ash. "That Harbotter of yours is a real firecracker! Which is ironic since it's a Water type."

"Yep! My Pokemon are the best there is!" Ash said. "I have complete faith in them, and they never let me down!"

"Good on ya, kiddo!" Hugo said. "But you're gonna need a lot of faith to beat my final and bestest Pokemon! Bigfeet, go!"

A brown fuzzball with humongous feet appeared from Hugo's last Pokeball. "Bigfeet!" It said confidently.

"You still okay to battle, Harbotter?" Ash asked.

His Pokemon had taken quite a bit of damage, but it still responded with a confident thumbs-up. "Harbotter!" It said, assuring Ash that it would be fine.

"Great! Then let's start off with Aqua Jet!" Harbotter sped forward, surrounded by a veil of water as it charged at Bigfeet.

"Bigfeet, knock him back with Double Kick!"

"Big!" Bigfeet hopped up and hit Harbotter square in the face with its powerful foot, sending the otter Pokemon flying back.

"Harbotter?" Harbotter said, confused at how a Pokemon that weak-looking could have such a powerful kick. What it didn't realize was that there was a second one coming.

"Bigfeet!" Bigfeet roared as it leapt up and brought its foot down hard on Harbotter's head, slamming it into the ground. This was one attack Harbotter couldn't take. It was out.

"Harbotter is unable to battle!" The referee declared. "The winner is- What's this?"

Bigfeet had started to glow. It began growing in size, growing a pair of powerful legs and equally-powerful arms. It grew in height until it was at least a good seven feet tall. When it was done, the glow disappeared and the new Pokemon roared "SASQUASH!"

"Ho-ho!" Hugo said happily. "I told you my big, ol' boy was close to evolving! I can't believe it just happened now!"

Ash looked up at the new Pokemon nervously. "Sasquash?" He said, scanning it with his Pokedex.

"Sasquash," the Pokedex said, "the Normal Giant Pokemon and the evolved form of Bigfeet. A Normal type. According to legend, each of the three legendary Giant Pokemon of the Zooks region leads an army of their own Sasquashes. These Pokemon are powerful brutes and are extremely rare."

"Powerful brutes, huh?" Ash said nervously. He returned his fallen Harbotter to its ball. "Pikachu, you think you're up for this?"

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said confidently.

Ash smiled. "Right. We've faced bigger challenges before. Go get 'em, buddy!"

"Pika!" Pikachu rushed on to the field. Hugo just laughed.

"Sorry, boy-oh." He said. "It looks like I'll be winning this one. My Bigfeet's even bigger now that he's a Sasquash!"

Ash just grinned. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall!" He said. "Pikachu, Electroweb!"

"Pika Pika! Pi!" Pikachu said as it hurled a web of electricity at its opponent. The web was barely big enough to cover Sasquash's face, and the giant Pokemon ripped the web off easily.

"Sasquaaaaaash!" It roared.

"Sasquash, Hammer Arm!" Hugo commanded.

Sasquash rushed forward, slamming into Pikachu with its new powerful arm, which sent the little mouse Pokemon flying backwards.

"Pikachu! You okay?" Ash asked. Pikachu managed to stand back up.

"Chu!" It said, cheeks sparking and ready for a revenge blow.

"Kay. Then use Thunderbolt!"

"Pika!" Pikachu leapt up to charge for its signature Thunderbolt attack.

"Don't let it blast you!" Hugo said. "Grab it and use Brutal Swing!" Sasquash reached forward and grabbed Pikachu. Ash grinned. _Big mistake._

"Now, Pikachu!" He commanded. Pikachu let loose with its powerful Thunderbolt before Sasquash could use its attack. The giant Pokemon got a shock sent through its system. It dropped Pikachu and stumbled around in a daze.

"Keep it together, Sasquash!" Hugo said. "We can still win this!"

"Not a chance!" Ash declared. "Pikachu, one more time! Thunderbolt!"

"Piiiiikaaaaachuuuuuuuuuuu!" Pikachu yelled as it let loose with another Thunderbolt. Sasquash was too dazed to dodge and took the full brunt of the attack. The giant Pokemon stumbled and fell forward, unconscious. The battle was over,

"Sasquash is unable to battle!" The referee declared. "The winner is Pikachu, which means victory goes to Ash the challenger!"

"All right!" Ash cheered. Pikachu leapt up into his arms and Ash swung him around happily. "You were great, buddy!"

"Pika!" Pikachu said happily.

"Actually, Ash, all your Pokemon were great this battle." Hugo said, walking up to Ash. "And I have something that'll prove it." The referee handed him a platter with a badge on it in the shape of a large humanoid figure. Hugo picked it up and offered it to Ash. "Ash, this Giant Badge commemorates your victory here at the Willowcreep City Gym. Wear it with pride, whippersnapper."

Ash accepted the badge. "All right!" He cheered. "I won the Giant Badge!"

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered with him.

Brian and Luna applauded Ash from the stands. "That sure was a great battle, wasn't it?" Brian remarked.

"Yeah, it was." Luna said. She looked down at her Clefairy which was leaping up and down with joy for Ash.

"Clefairy! Clefairy! Clefairy!" It chanted happily. Luna sensed something in her Clefairy that she had never sensed before. It was a readiness of some sort. She bent down to get face to face with her Pokemon.

"Clefairy, are you sure?" Luna asked her Clefairy.

Clefairy thought for a moment, then gave a small nod. "Clefair!" It said. Luna smiled.

"Hugo!" She said. "I have your next challenger!"

"Really?" Hugo said. "And who's that?"

Luna smiled with a confidence she had never felt before. She was ready for this. Her once-afraid Pokemon was now ready for this. They were a team, and they were going to work together to win.

"Your challenger is me!" She declared.

Will Luna and Clefairy be able to beat Hugo in a Gym battle? And are Clefairy's fears of battling actually completely gone? We'll find out as the journey continues.


	13. Chapter 13

_**The Big Moment**_

"Are you sure Clefairy's ready for this?"

Luna nodded. "I'm sure of it."

Ash has just won his first Gym badge in the Zooks region against the Willowcreep City Gym Leader, Hugo. But now Hugo has another challenger, and that challenger was Luna. Luna looked down at her Clefairy which was smiling widely. Luna smiled too. "You see, for the past few days, every time Clefairy's watched Ash battle, I feel like she's begun to overcome her fear of battling bit by bit." Luna said. "I could sense the fear lessening inside of her, and I know she'll do good in this battle. Right, Clefairy?"

"Clef Clef!" Clefairy said happily.

"Pika Pi?" Pikachu asked the little Fairy Pokemon, wondering if it was truly ready.

"Clef!" Clefairy replied, reassuring Pikachu that it wasn't afraid anymore.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said happily.

"Yeah, but having Clefairy's first battle be against a Gym Leader?" Brian said. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"I think it's a perfect idea." Brian turned to look over at Ash who was smiling just as widely as Luna and her Pokemon. "A Gym Battle is the ultimate test for a trainer and their Pokemon," Ash went on, "and I bet Clefairy's definitely going to be able to pass that test, even if this is her first battle!"

Clefairy's smile faltered for a moment. _Wait… Was this her first battle?_

Before Clefairy could think more about that, Hugo came back in from healing his Pokemon. "So, you young whippersnapper," he said to Luna, "you ready to get things underway?"

Luna nodded. "Definitely." She said. "Ready, Clefairy?"

"Clef Clef!"

Luna could sense the confidence flowing off her Pokemon clear as day. She knew Clefairy was ready. "Let's go!" She said.

The referee took his place at the center of the battlefield. "The battle between Hugo the Gym Leader and Luna the challenger will now begin." He said. "Each trainer will have the use of three Pokemon, and only the challenger may make substitutions during the battle. When one trainer's Pokemon are unable to battle, the battle will be over. Trainers ready?"

Luna was suddenly a lot more nervous than she was before. She had forgotten that both trainers were supposed to use three Pokemon. She only had Clefairy. "Um… I'm not sure…" She said.

Hugo seemed to know what was wrong. "It's all right, young one." He said. "Let's adjust the rules a little bit to make the challenge a bit more even for you. We'll each only use one Pokemon, and, when that Pokemon is down for the count, the battle will be over. That sound good?"

Luna regained her smile. "Yes. Thank you." She said. "Clefairy, you're up!"

Clefairy ran on to the battlefield. "Clefairy!" It said confidently.

Hugo grinned and drew a Pokeball from his belt. "All righty then! Sasquash, go!"

He then threw out his signature, newly-evolved Pokemon. The giant Pokemon appeared from its ball and roared. "SASQUASH!"

"Y-you're using Sasquash?" Luna said nervously.

Hugo chuckled. "I said I'd make the battle more even for you, but I never said I'd make it easy." He replied.

"This is bad." Brian said as he watched from the stands with Ash. "Sasquash is Hugo's ace Pokemon, and it's got way more power in it than Luna's Clefairy."

Ash kept smiling though. "I wouldn't count them out just yet." He said. He believed in Luna. He knew from experience that Clefairy had a pretty powerful Double Slap attack, and its Disarming Voice attack had managed to take out Team Rocket. He wasn't sure what Clefairy's other moves were, but hopefully they would be helpful in this battle.

"All right! Battle begin!" The referee said.

Luna took the first move. "Clefairy, Disarming Voice! Go!" She commanded.

"Clefairy! Clef Clef CLEF CLEF CLEF!" Clefairy cried, sending wave after wave of pink sound energy flying towards Sasquash.

"Squaaaaaash!" Sasquash cried as it was hit with the attack, but it only seemed to make it mad.

"Sasquash, Double Kick!" Hugo said. Sasquash ran towards Clefairy, ready to attack with its powerful feet.

"Dodge it, Clefairy!" Luna cried. Clefairy jumped out of the way of the first kick, but the second one hit it hard and sent it flying.

"Cleeeeeeeeeff!" Clefairy cried as it crashed into the ground. Luna bit her lip, hating to see her Pokemon get hurt. But she wasn't giving up yet!

"Sasquash, Double Kick again!" Hugo commanded. Sasquash rushed forward for another attack, but Luna was ready this time.

"Clefairy, jump up and use Double Slap!" She said. Clefairy waited for Sasquash to bring its foot down, then leapt up on to its knee for extra support, then jumped again to slap Sasquash hard in its face, sending the giant Pokemon falling on its behind. Ash watched from the stands with increased interest. Could it be that Clefairy's Double Slap was getting stronger?

"Sasquash, knock it back with Hammer Arm!"

Luna knew Clefairy was too close to dodge, but fortunately she had another idea. "Defense Curl! Quick, Clefairy!"

Clefairy curled up just as Sasquash hit it hard with its strong arm. The Fairy Pokemon was knocked back quite a ways, but it was much more protected from damage.

"Jump up and smash it with Hammer Arm!" Hugo commanded.

"Dodge it, Clefairy!"

Clefairy dove to the side just as Sasquash came down with a powerful Hammer Arm, sending up a cloud of dust across the battlefield. Clefairy was stunned for a moment. This dust cloud reminded it of something. A forgotten memory, perhaps?

Suddenly, the little Fairy Pokemon wasn't in the Willowcreep City Gym. It wasn't even in the Zooks region. It was alone on a battlefield, and not the type you would find at a Pokemon Gym. No, this was a warzone. Fallen Pokemon and their trainers were strewn everywhere on the ground. The enemy was winning. Clefairy was the only one left.

"Get up, Clefairy! Please get up!" Someone called from behind it. But the little Fairy Pokemon wasn't focused on its trainer's voice. It was focused on the terrifying black fox Pokemon standing over it, claws sharp and glistening, ready to strike.

A man with his face in shadows stood behind the fox Pokemon. He grinned wickedly. "Finish it." He said sinisterly. The fox Pokemon rushed forward to attack, about to end Clefairy and its trainer.

"CLEFAAAAAAAAIIIIR!"

"Clefairy!" Suddenly, Clefairy was back in the Willowcreep City Gym. Sasquash was standing over it, about to attack again, but Hugo stopped it in its tracks.

"Hold it, Sasquash!" He said. "Give the Pokemon some space!"

Luna ran on to the battlefield to pick up and comfort her Pokemon. Clefairy started to calm down, feeling safe again in Luna's arms. "Clefairy, what's wrong?" She asked. "You were terrified for a second there. What happened?"

Ash and Brian watched helplessly from the stands. "Do you think Clefairy's fears might not have been cured after all?" Brian asked.

"I don't know." Ash said. He wanted to do something to help Luna and her Pokemon, but he wasn't sure what there was to do. It seemed that, for a second there at least, Clefairy had had a relapse in its fear of battling.

"Does the challenger forfeit the battle?" The referee asked. Luna considered it deeply for a minute. She didn't want to push Clefairy to do anything it didn't want to do. The little Pokemon was still shaking in her arms. But then…

"Pika! Pika Pi!" Clefairy looked up to see Pikachu in the stands, still cheering the little Fairy Pokemon on. "Pika! Pika!" It cheered, chanting for Clefairy to continue the battle, telling it everything would be all right. "Pikachu!"

 _You can do it, Clefairy!_

Clefairy stopped shaking. Luna could sense its fear suddenly disappearing. She wasn't sure what was happening, but it seemed that Clefairy was getting better. "I'll ask again: does the challenger forfeit?" The referee repeated.

Luna looked down at the little Pokemon in her arms, the Pokemon she had had her entire life. She knew it wasn't afraid anymore. She knew it could still win this battle. "No." She said. "No, I do not forfeit." Luna set down Clefairy. "That is, unless my Pokemon doesn't want to continue." She said tentatively, wanting to do a quick final check that Clefairy was all right.

"Clefairy!" Her Pokemon said, giving her a thumbs-up. Luna grinned and took her position again at her end of the battlefield.

"Let's do this!" She said. "Clefairy, Disarming Voice! Let's go!" Clefairy let loose with another barrage of pink sound energy, causing Sasquash to cover its ears and roar in pain as it was bombarded with it.

"Hang in there, Sasquash!" Hugo said. "Get in there and use Stomp!"

Sasquash ran forward to attack Clefairy. Luna didn't want to risk triggering Clefairy by making her dodge again, so she did the next best possible thing. "Block it, Clefairy!"

Luna had expected her Pokemon to use Defense Curl again, but instead Clefairy's first instinct for some reason was to use Double Slap. As Sasquash brought its powerful foot down on Clefairy, the little Fairy Pokemon's hand started to glow, and it brought it up to not only block Sasquash's Stomp, but also to knock it back on its behind with the strength it had in its hand. "What in the world?" Luna wondered aloud. She checked something on her Pokedex and gasped in excitement. Clefairy's Double Slap was growing more powerful after all, and in fact it had been replaced with a new move: Wake-Up Slap. "Clefairy, you learned Wake-Up Slap!" Luna shouted excitedly.

"Clefairy!" Clefairy cheered.

"That's amazing!" Brian said from the stands. "Wake-Up Slap is a Fighting type move, which is super effective against Normal types!"

"Yeah," Ash said, "now if only Clefairy could get Sasquash to sleep. Then it would be even more powerful."

Luna grinned. She had been saving Clefairy's final known move as a last resort in case she needed an extra edge in the battle, and now was the perfect time to use it. "Clefairy, Sing!" Clefairy began to sing, producing an enchanting melody that slowly lulled Sasquash into a deep slumber, leaving it snoring in its sitting position after Clefairy had knocked it back. "Now use Wake-Up Slap!"

Clefairy's hand glowed and it leapt up to get in the perfect position to deliver a finishing blow. It "Clefaaaaaaaiiiiry!" It yelled triumphantly as it slapped Sasquash hard in the face, sending the giant Pokemon flying back with incredible power. Sasquash landed roughly a few feet back on the battlefield. The combined power of the super effectiveness of the move plus the extra boost it got because Sasquash was asleep had done it. The battle was over.

"Sasquash is unable to battle!" The referee declared. "The winner is Clefairy, which means victory goes to the challenger, Luna!"

"All right!" Ash cheered from the bleachers. He and Brian ran down to congratulate their friend on winning her first Gym battle, as well as helping Clefairy overcome its fear of battling. "You were awesome, Luna!" Ash said. "You and Clefairy really do make a great team!"

"Thank you, Ash!" Luna said happily. "I'm so proud of her!"

Clefairy smiled. "Clefairy." It said bashfully. Though something was still on its minds. That scene it had witnessed, the battlefield with the man and his fox Pokemon… What was that? A forgotten memory perhaps? Clefairy wasn't sure, but, before it could ponder that any more, Hugo approached Luna with her Gym Badge.

"Here you go, whippersnapper!" He said proudly, offering the badge to Luna. "This here Giant Badge is yours now! Wear it with pride!"

Luna happily accepted the badge. "Thank you, Hugo!" She said. "I will!"

Later that night, at the Willowcreep City Pokemon Center, Luna was still admiring her badge in the new badge case she had obtained from Nurse Joy. She still couldn't believe it. She was officially competing in the Zooks Pokemon League now.

"All right!" Ash said happily. "Just seven more badges for both of us, and we'll be ready for the Pokemon League!"

Luna smiled. "Yes." She said. "And, Ash, just know I won't be going easy on you if we wind up facing each other there."

Ash grinned. "Wouldn't have it any other way." He said.

Brian smiled as he watched the two trainers. He knew the two of them would go far here in Zooks. And who knows? Maybe the two of them would soon be strong enough to face Weis, or even the retired Gad City Gym Leader, should he ever come out of retirement that is.

The trainers' thoughts and conversation were interrupted by Nurse Joy coming over to them. "Excuse me," she said, "is one of you Brian?"

Brian stood up. "That would be me." He said.

"There's a call for you on one of the Center's video phones." Nurse Joy told him. "It's Prof. Bayberry."

Brian, Ash, and Luna all hurried to one of the video phones in the Center to take the call. Once they were there, Prof. Bayberry's face came up on the screen. "Ah, there you three are!" He said happily. "I have amazing news that I wanted you to hear, Brian! I finally finished my work on the prototype for the Wyrdness energy controller device!"

"That's great, professor!" Brian said. "Congratulations!"

"Professor," Ash said, "does that mean that people can use it to control Wyrd Rocks in battle now?"

Prof. Bayberry nodded. "That's exactly what it means, my boy!" He replied.

"That's great! 'Cause, well…" Ash pulled the Wyrd Rock he had won during the Big Festival out of his bag. Prof. Bayberry was immediately awestruck at the sight of it. "I won this Wyrd Rock at a festival here in Willowcreep City," Ash explained, "but, when I handed it to Pikachu, he started to evolve."

"Ah, yes. I had thought that might have been a possibility." Prof. Bayberry said. "See, some Pokemon can gain a temporary evolution when using a Wyrd Rock. Sort of like Mega Evolution in a way, except that they become a completely new Pokemon rather than just a powered-up version of themselves. Normally, such an evolution would be extremely difficult to reverse. But, with my new Wyrdness controller, you should be able to reverse the process much more easily should you wish for Pikachu to return to normal."

Ash breathed a sigh of relief. That had been his biggest worry, and he was glad to have that alleviated. "So, where can I get one of those Wyrdness controllers?" He asked.

"I'll tell you what," Prof. Bayberry replied, "you all are still in Willowcreep City, right? I'm in the next town over just past the Willowcreep Woods supervising some research being done there by my new assistants."

"You mean Team Rocket?" Ash asked.

"Yes. Why don't I send them over your way and have them escort you all to the town I'm in?" Prof. Bayberry suggested. "Then I can give you your very own Wyrdness controller."

"That sounds perfect!" Ash said, though he was admittedly a little hesitant about being escorted anywhere by Team Rocket.

"Great! The three of them will meet you at the Willowcreep City Pokemon Center tomorrow morning. Good night, you all!" And, with that, the call ended.

Our heroes went to sleep that night with many thoughts on their minds. Will this new invention of Prof. Bayberry's be able to help Ash use his Wyrd Rock? Will Luna's Clefairy be able to keep its previous fear of battling under control to help Luna make it to the Pokemon League? And what would an adventure alongside Team Rocket look like? All these answers and more as the journey continues.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Hear Some Evil, See Some Evil, Speak Some Evil**_

"This is humiliating."

"Lowest of da low, all right."

"Wobbuffet."

"Come on, it can't really be _that_ bad, right?"

James' comment was met with a fistful of dirt thrown in his face. "Not that bad?!" Jessie roared. "We're wearing clunky, ugly, really heavy shoes, working for some dorky professor, and, to top it all off, our assignment from him is sitting around picking up dirt!"

James spat out the dirt that had hit him. "We're not picking up dirt," he argued, "we're collecting dirt samples so the professor can study… Um, wait. What _is_ he studying?

Meowth pulled out the professor's assignment note. "According to the assignment, he's studyin' the concentration of Pokemon waste that's contained in the dirt to track what species are in the area."

"Pokemon waste?" Jessie asked. "Does that mean…"

"Yep." Meowth replied. "Literal Tauros turds."

Jessie immediately dropped the dirt she had in her hands, and James looked like he might be sick. "UGH! You threw that in my face!" He yelled in disgust. "All right, fine. We've officially hit rock bottom."

Suddenly, a beeping sound was heard, and it was coming from Jessie's bag. "Is that what I think it is?" She asked apprehensively.

"No! They can't be calling now!" James wailed.

"Well, don't keep 'em waitin', you guys!" Meowth exclaimed. "Answer it!"

"Wobbu! Wobbu!" Wobbuffet added urgently.

Jessie pulled out the black sphere with a bright red R on it out of her bag and set it on the ground. A pole extended up from the orb, displaying a holographic message from headquarters. "As usual, it seems you three are behind on your required reports." Giovanni's secretary said in her forever-annoyed tone.

"Still better than getting blown out of the sky on your first real mission." Jessie sniped back under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing."

Giovanni appeared on the screen with his Persian's head resting on his lap. Meowth glared at the large cat Pokemon, taking up the lap that he should be resting on instead. "Do you have anything of use to report at all?" He asked.

"Of course, sir!" James said. "We happen to have already caught a particularly rare Pokemon. Jessie, show him!"

"Right!" Jessie drew a Pokeball from her belt. "Sabbatanic, come out now!"

Jessie threw her ball up in the air, and out came a large, black-furred, big-fanged monster of a monkey Pokemon. "SABATAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" The Sabatanic roared.

Giovanni admired the strong ape Pokemon. "Ah. A Sabatanic." He said, sounding impressed. "Very rare, and _very_ powerful. Excellent. What else have you-"

Another beeping noise was heard, this time coming from the CAPEs on Team Rocket's feet. "What's happening?" Jessie asked worriedly.

"What is the meaning of this?" Giovanni's secretary asked sternly.

Suddenly, a second holographic image appeared, projected from Team Rocket's shoes. Prof. Bayberry smiled at them, seemingly unaware of their current conversation with their other boss. "Good morning, my wonderful assistants!" Prof. Bayberry said.

"Assistants?" Giovanni repeated with both curiosity and malice in his voice.

"Uhhhh… Professor, now's not really a good time." James stammered nervously.

"I have a new assignment for you three!" The professor went on, not even listening to James' protests.

"Who are you?" Giovanni asked. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Uh, you know what, boss? We'll have to call you back." Jessie quickly stomped the Team Rocket holo-sphere to bits thanks to the heavy shoes she wore. "Thanks a lot, Bayberry!" She yelled at the professor. "Now we'll never hear the end of it from that troll of a secretary the boss has!"

"Not to mention the boss himself." Meowth added worriedly.

"Wobbuffet…" Wobbuffet whimpered. They all feared the boss' wrath, but Bayberry didn't seem to care.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that." Prof. Bayberry replied. "I'm sure all you'll get is a slap on the wrist." That just made Team Rocket even more worried. A slap on the wrist in Team Rocket usually meant breaking them. "Now then, down to business!" The professor went on. "You see, I need you three to escort some colleagues of mine that are over in Willowcreep City. I believe you remember Brian, Ash, and Luna."

That got the trio's attention. "You mean the twerps?" Jessie asked.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call them that, but yes. As you know them, the twerps." Team Rocket suddenly became happy again. If they were escorting the twerps somewhere, this was their chance to make off with all their Pokemon. ""Of course," the professor went on, "I have told Brian to keep me notified of your behavior. Your current CAPEs seem to be doing their jobs well for now, making sure you three can't participate in any criminal activity, but, should anything happen, Brian will let me know and I'll be forced to send you much stricter methods of preventing you from committing crimes. Anyhoo, off you go. Make sure Brian, Ash, and Luna make it here to where I am in Barkliff City just outside the Willowcreep Woods safely. And remember: _I've got my eye on you three._ " With that ominous message, Prof. Bayberry's hologram disappeared.

"Oh, perfect." James said miserably. "Our next real chance to catch Pikachu and all their other Pokemon, and, if we even try anything, Professor Nicepants will probably make us wear those shock collars again."

"Or something worse." Meowth whimpered.

"So, we just need a way to steal Pikachu without the twerps realizing we're stealing him." Jessie reasoned. Instantly, her spirit was deflated. "Easier said than done."

"Kee! Kee! Kee! Kee!"

Team Rocket recognized those demonic cries. They looked up into the treetops to find that they were surrounded by a wild pack of Monkevils. Apparently, Sabatanic's roar from when they were talking with the boss had summoned them.

"We may not even survive long enough to get a chance at Pikachu!" Meowth cried.

"Wobbu Wobbu!" Wobbuffet added, terrified.

"Kee! Kee! Kee! Kee!" The Monkevils kept chanting. Team Rocket huddled together. One last group hug before they were torn to shreds. But then…

"SABAAAAAAAAAAY!" Team Rocket looked up. Sabatanic stood in front of them, addressing the pack of now-silent Monkevils. "Sabay. Sabatan Batanic! Sabatanic Sabay!"

"Hey, check it out!" Meowth said, sounding positive again. "Sabatanic's saying that, since it was the leader of this mangy group of Monkevils and Jessie caught it, that makes Jessie the new troop leader! They'll do whatever she says!"

"Hmm." Jessie said, a wicked glint in her eye. "I _have_ always wanted an evil army to do my bidding." Suddenly, she had an idea."You know, stealing Pikachu without the twerps knowing might not be so hard after all…" She purred. She told the others the plan, and they all agreed that this was finally going to be the time they captured Pikachu once and for all!

 **…**

"Aw, man. Where are they?"

"They should have been here half an hour ago."

"Do you think they got lost?"

"Please." Ash said. "If there's one thing you can count on, it's Team Rocket always knowing where to find me and Pikachu."

"Pikachu."

Ash, Brian, and Luna had all been waiting on the outer limits of Willowcreep City just outside the Willowcreep Woods for quite a while for Team Rocket. For some reason, they hadn't shown up yet. Suddenly, a great stomping noise could be heard coming from the forest.

"What is that?!" Luna squealed.

"Sounds like a powerful Pokemon." Brian said.

"Powerful Pokemon? All right!" Ash exclaimed joyously. "Ready, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu said, its cheeks sparking and ready for battle.

However, the stomping did not turn out to be a powerful Pokemon, but was instead Team Rocket running towards Willowcreep City in their extremely heavy shoes. "Sorry we're late." Jessie said, feigning innocence. "These shoes we have to wear aren't exactly too convenient for travel."

"Yep!" James concurred. "They're very heavy, so we can't move too fast."

"Sorry if dat bothers ya." Meowth added.

Luna observed Meowth. Like with all Pokemon, she could sense his emotions too, and she could tell he and the other two Team Rocket members were up to something. "Maybe we should just travel to Barkliff City on our own." She suggested.

"Nonsense!" James said. "We promise, we're only here to help out Prof. Bayberry's pals!"

"So, let's get movin', twerps- Uh, I mean, friends!" Meowth said as he, Jessie, and James started trudging back towards the woods, making a real effort to show that their shoes were keeping them from moving too fast.

"They're definitely up to something." Luna whispered to Ash and Brian as they followed Team Rocket through the forest.

"No doubt about that." Ash agreed.

"The only question is _what_ are they up to?" Brian said.

After about an hour or so of walking, Team Rocket hadn't even so much as looked at Pikachu, let alone try and steal him. They were, however, making a lot of noise with their heavy shoes. "You know, you three should probably be more quiet with those shoes." Brian said. "I know you've got them on for good reason, but if, you keep making all that noise, it could cause some wild Pokemon to attack us."

"Wild Pokemon attacking?" Jessie said, that same evil glint in her eye. "You don't say. We'll definitely be sure to keep it down." Team Rocket made absolutely no effort to be quiet whatsoever, though. And, right on cue…

"SABAAAAAAAAAY!"

"Kee! Kee! Kee! Kee!"

Ash, Luna, and Brian all looked up into the trees to see a pack of Monkevils and Jessie's Sabatanic all surrounding them from above. "It's a Monkevil attack!" Brian yelled. "Run!"

But it was too late. The Monkevils all leapt down, attacking the trio of trainers and fake-attacking Team Rocket, all according to plan.

"Pikachu, help!" Ash cried out as a pair of Monkevils started biting and scratching his head.

"Pika!" Pikachu began charging up for a Thunderbolt, but was quickly swept off his feet and up into the air by another Monkevil. "Chuuuuu!" He cried out as he was carried away through the trees.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled. He shook off the Monkevils attacking him and ran after Pikachu. Luna and Brian followed behind, but Team Rocket just pretended to be too held down by both the Monkevils and their CAPEs to help at all.

"The plan is going perfectly!" Jessie whispered to her teammates.

"Yes! We'll finally have Pikachu!" James added.

"And no one will ever know as long as we keep our cool!" Meowth reminded them both.

Ash, Luna, and Brian were right behind the Monkevil that had Pikachu. Luna knew just what to do. "Clefairy, use Disarming Voice!" She commanded.

"Clef! Clef! CLEF! CLEF! CLEF! CLEF!" Clefairy cried, blasting pink soundwaves all around them, knocking Monkevils out of the trees and blasting the one that had Pikachu away with a quadruple super effective attack on the Fighting and Dark type Pokemon.

"Hey, since when did dat Clefairy start battling?" Meowth wondered aloud.

"Who cares?" Jessie said, still confident in their plan. "Just let Sabatanic pound that pathetic Pokemon into the dirt!"

Right on cue, Sabatanic leapt down from the trees and struck Clefairy backwards with a powerful Power-Up Punch. "Sabbatan!" It grunted, daring the three trainers to try and take Pikachu from it and its troop.

"Clefairy!" Luna cried, rushing up to her injured Pokemon. "Are you okay?"

"Clef Clef." Clefairy replied reassuringly.

"All right! If it's a battle you want it's a battle you'll get!" Ash declared. "Harbotter! Curserpillar! I choose you!" He threw out his other two Pokemon, both ready to take on Sabbatanic.

"Harbotter!" Harbotter exclaimed defiantly.

"Curse. Curserpillar." Curserpillar grunted.

"Wait a sec…" Jessie said, noticing Ash's Curserpillar. "Is that…" She suddenly had flashbacks to a similar Pokemon hitting her with a String Shot attack and cursing her, and by extension James and Meowth, for the whole day. No. It wasn't a similar Pokemon. It was the same Pokemon!

James and Meowth saw Jessie starting to get mad. "Jessie, stay calm." James urged her. "We're almost in the clear!"

"Yeah! C'mon, Jess'!" Meowth said desperately. "For once in yer life, don't blow a gasket!"

But it was too late. The gasket had been blown. Jessie roared in a blind rage. "Sabatanic, pound that stupid excuse for a worm until it's nothing but a stain on the ground!" She commanded.

"Wait, does that mean that Sabatanic is hers?" Brian asked.

"I knew they were up to something!" Luna said. "Ash, you need any help?"

"Don't worry about me!" He said confidently. "Harbotter, Aqua Jet! And, Curserpillar, use Tackle!"

Harbotter surged forward, ready to attack Sabatanic, but was knocked aside by a powerful Brutal Swing. As Curserpillar lunged forward too, Sabatanic opened its mouth to use Crunch and Curserpillar flew right into its gaping jaws.

For a moment, there was silence. It seemed that Sabatanic had apparently eaten Curserpillar. "Yes!" Jessie cheered. "Oh, revenge never tasted so sweet! Right, Sabatanic?" No response. "Sabatanic?"

It appeared that the large ape Pokemon was struggling with something. It choked and gagged with all its might until a large, black, furry cocoon-like organism burst from its mouth. The cocoon was still glowing, fresh from evolving. Ash was awestruck. "Whoa…" He breathed. He scanned the new Pokemon his Curserpillar had turned into with his Pokedex.

"Cursecoon," the Pokedex read, "the Bad Omen Pokemon and the evolved form of Curserpillar. A Bug and Dark type. Cursecoon is said to emit a dark energy from deep within itself that frightens all other Pokemon near it. Both Pokemon and trainers are very wary around it."

"All right! Curserpillar evolved!" Ash exclaimed. He then noticed that Sabatanic was still suffering a little from nearly choking on Cursecoon. "Time to finish this! Cursecoon, use String Shot!"

"Curse!" Cursecoon fired a String Shot attack, hitting Sabatanic right in the chest.

"Now swing him around and around!" Ash commanded. Cursecoon began whipping the String Shot around and around, throwing Team Rocket's Sabatanic around with incredible strength. "Now let him fly!" Cursecoon released the String Shot, sending Sabatanic flying right into Team Rocket.

"Oof!" Jessie grunted as she was hit with her own Pokemon. "I don't need a powerful monkey when I still have a whole army of them! Monkevils, attack!" But nothing happened. "Uh, hello?" Jessie said a little desperately. "Evil army? Do something!"

"Monkee! Monkevil!" One of the Monkevils screeched. The others began screeching too in the same tone.

"Uh-oh." Meowth said. "It looks like since da twerp just beat Sabatanic, _he's_ now the new troop leader."

"So, my evil army…" Jessie whimpered.

"You've been overthrown." James finished for her.

One of the Monkevils came over to Ash and handed Pikachu back to him. "Thanks." He said. "Now, I think it's time to send you three blasting off like usual!"

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu agreed, its cheeks sparking.

"Hold on, Ash." Brian said. "I have a much better punishment in mind for them." He pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number. "Hello? Professor Bayberry? Your assistants just tried using a Monkevil army to steal Ash's Pokemon… Okay… Okay… Okay. Excellent! Thank you." Brian hung up.

"I suppose there's no chance we're due for a promotion?" James joked, hoping to ease the tension.

"Nope." Brian replied. "In fact, Prof. Bayberry said he's sending a new CAPE for you three to our location right now."

"Wait. You mean they're _still_ supposed to lead us through the forest?" Ash asked in disbelief.

"But they just tried to steal Ash's Pikachu!" Luna said.

"Prof. Bayberry believes more in the power of negative reinforcement than firing, unfortunately." Brian said. "So, yes. Team Rocket will still be travelling with us for now. However, he did say he'll also be sending over some extra help for _us_ as well."

"What kind of extra help?" Ash asked.

"He didn't say," Brian said, "but he said it's actually for Luna."

"For me?" Luna repeated.

What sort of special surprises does the professor have in store for Team Rocket and Luna? And will Team Rocket be able to lead our heroes through the Willowcreep Woods without resorting to their criminal ways again? We'll find out as the journey continues!


End file.
